Rhagades pruni (Denis & Schiffermuller, 1775)

Koren, Toni, 2021, Contribution to the Procridinae (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae) fauna of Croatia, Zootaxa 4950 (1), pp. 61-82 : 68

Rhagades pruni ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)

This species is distributed from the Pyrenees, across most of Europe up to Japan ( Naumann et al. 1999). In the literature containing the records of Zygaenidae in Croatia the species is commonly cited ( Mann 1857, 1867, 1869; Vukotinović 1879; Bohatsch 1892; Koča 1901; Rebel 1904; Abafi-Aigner 1910; Mladinov 1958; Stauder 1921, 1932; Witt 1987; Šašić et al. 2016). However, the last record from Croatia dates from 1971 ( Witt 1987). Accordingly, records present in this work are the first after almost 50 years. During this survey, the species was collected from four localities, within the known range in Croatia. As was stated by Naumann et al. (1999) R. pruni is missing from the Mediterranean region, which is true also for most of the coastal area of Croatia ( Fig. 2 ). During this survey, the species was recorded on both dry and wet grasslands. The occurrence of the species on different biotopes is already known ( Naumann et al. 1999). Caterpillars feed on Prunus spinosa and Calluna vulgaris ( Bertaccini & Fiumi 1999) . R. pruni can be regarded as rare and local in Croatia. An effort should be done in order to expand the known distribution and asses the status of the known populations.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Distribution of Rhagades pruni in Croatia based on newly collected data and historical records.