MUSCHAMPIA ALTA (SCHWINGENSCHUSS, 1942) COMB. & STAT. NOV.

Type locality: Taormina, Sicily, Italy.

Original reference: Schwingenschuss L. 1942. Eine Falterausbeute aus Sizilien. I. Teil. Macrolepidoptera. Zeitschrift des Wiener Entomologen-vereines 27: 177–184.

Original name: Hesperia proto alta .

Monophyletic in the phylogenies based on nuclear and mitochondrial markers, which show that this taxon is sister to M. proteides . Minimum uncorrected p -distances are 2.55% (ITS2) and 3.79% (COI) with respect to M. proto and 2.87% (ITS2) and 2.08% (COI) with respect to M. proteides . It can be distinguished from M. proteides by the long gnathos. Morphometrics of the male genitalia highlights differences in the cucullus with respect to M. proto and M. proteides, in particular a smaller dorsal process of the cucullus. No diagnostic traits in the wings to distinguish it from M. proto and M. proteides were observed, although no morphometric analyses were performed.

Distribution: Sicily, southern Italian Peninsula and Balkan Peninsula. It is probable that the species is also present in the western Aegean Islands.