Dyspessa salicicola (Eversmann, 1848)

Cossus salicicola Eversmann, 1848, Bull. Soc. Imp. Nat. Moscou 21: 211.

LT: Saratovischen Gournevement, in der Gegend von Wolsk [Russia, Saratov Reg., Volsk]. Type material (holotype) in ZISP.

Synonymy:

= Dyspessa salicicola f. lutescens Silbernagel, 1944, Z. Wien. Ent. Ges. 29: 187.

LT: Ochrid (Ochrid lake) [Macedonia]. Type material (holotype) in MWM .

Distribution. Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albanien, Greece, Ukraine, SW Russia, Transcaucasia, Turkey, China (Xinjang), Kazakhstan (Spuler 1910; Didmanidze 1978; de Freina 1983, 1996; de Freina & Witt 1990; Gevorkian 1986; Yakovlev 2004d, 2005; Didmanidze & Yakovlev 2007; Yakovlev 2009c).

Host plants. Salix fragilis L. ( Salicaceae).

Remarks. This species is represented by two subspecies: Dyspessa salicicola salicicola (Eversmann, 1848) and D. salicicola aschabadensis Daniel, 1953 . The latter one is known from Iran (Christoph 1876) and is distributed in the northern parts of the country. Among the examined material there were two specimens collected in the south and south-western parts of Iran, with a few differences in the wing pattern and length of the pecten processes of the antennae from D. salicicola aschabadensis . These differences are as follows: the oval dark brown spots at the middle part of the forewing are indistinct and partly faded both at upper- and undersides. Only some traces of them are remained which are mainly visible at the upperside (Figs. 7A, B). Moreover, length of the pecten process is almost 3.5 times longer than the antennal segment diameter (Figs. 7C, E) comparing being two times longer in D. salicicola aschabadensis (Figs. 7D, F).

Here we consider these differences as intrasubspecific variations pending conducting a molecular study.