Theresimima ampellophaga (Bayle-Barelle, 1809)

Efetov, K. A., Tarmann, G. M. & Gorbunov, O. G., 2023, On the date of original description and the type locality of Zygaena ampellophaga (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae: Procridinae), Zoosystematica Rossica 32 (1), pp. 43-49 : 47-48

Theresimima ampellophaga (Bayle-Barelle, 1809)

Zygaena ampellophaga Bayle-Barelle, 1809a: 2 , figs. [“ Zygaena ampellophaga (mihi).”]. Type locality: “...in Piemonte ... la strada Romera de Broni a Casteggio...” [ Italy: Lombardy, Province of Pavia , hills between Broni and Casteggio]. Type material: not mentioned and not selected. 2

Zygaena ampellophaga: Bayle-Barelle, 1809b: 40 , tav. I, fig. IIa–e [“ Zygaena ampellophaga (mihi).”].

Sphinx vitis Freyer, 1829: 69 , Taf. LXVIII, Fig. 3 (“ Sp. [hinx] Vitis .”). Type locality: not given. Type material: not traced. A junior primary homonym of Sphinx vitis Linnaeus, 1758: 491 ( Lepidoptera : Sphingidae ).

Moreover, there is also plenty of confusion about the type locality (see above), based on a comment by Treitschke (1834) who mentioned that this species was first found by E.F. Germar during his trip to Dalmatia. However, in his work about that journey Germar (1817) does not mention a word about that species. Reading Treitschke’s comment in detail we can see that he wrote on page 101: “Der Schmetterling wurde, so viel mir bekannt, von Herrn Professor Germar auf seiner Reise nach Dalmatien zuerst entdeckt und benannt, von Hrn. Bayle-Barelle beschrieben, und von D. Passerini nach den ersten Ständen aufgefunden und abgebildet, so, dass die Benennung Aller [sic], Ampelophaga [sic], und nicht die spätere, von Bonelli: – Vitis , – zu gelten hat”. From this sentence we see that Treitschke only “thought to remember” that Germar had taken this species in Dalmatia and this was an error, as is explained correctly in a footnote by Issekutz (1957: 35). However, several entomologists have fallen into the same trap believing that Germar had first found this species in Dalmatia and that this must be the type locality. They obviously did not clearly understand Treitschke’s German words: “so viel mir bekannt”, meaning that he only thought he remembered and obviously, Treitschke was wrong.

Figures

Fig. 3. Illustrations of Sphinx ampelophaga [sic] (1822) in the publication of Hübner (1818–1822).