DAHIRA SVETSINJAEVAE Brechlin, 2006

Male Dahira svetsinjaevae (upperside), Dayao Shan, Guangxi, China. Photo: © Ronald Brechlin Male Dahira svetsinjaevae (underside), Dayao Shan, Guangxi, China. Photo: © Ronald Brechlin

TAXONOMY

Dahira svetsinjaevae Brechlin, 2006. In: Brechlin & Melichar, 2006, Nachr. ent. Ver. Apollo (N.F.) 27(4): 207. Type locality: China, Guangxi, Dayao Shan, Jinxiu, 100km SE Liuzhou, 24°06'N 110°10'E, 1200m.


ADULT DESCRIPTION AND VARIATION

Similar to Dahira obliquifasciata but immediately distinguishable from that, and all other species of Dahira, by the almost uniform bright orange ground colour of the underside of forewings and hindwings with poorly contrasting pale brown marginal bands and a strongly contrasting black forewing discal area.

In the male genitalia, gnathos strong, massive and pointed. Harpe broad at base, then tapering and slightly curved dorsally. Phallus similar to Dahira obliquifascia.


ADULT BIOLOGY


FLIGHT-TIME

China: 15-30.iii (Dayao Shan).


EARLY STAGES

OVUM: Unknown.

LARVA: Unknown.

PUPA: Unknown.

Larval hostplants. Unknown.


PARASITOIDS

Unknown.


LOCAL DISTRIBUTION

China: Guangxi (Guangxi, Dayao Shan, Jinxiu (100km SE Liuzhou, 24°06'N 110°10'E), 1200m).


GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION

Guangxi, China. Possibly also Arunachal Pradesh, India (Haxaire, Melichar & Manjunatha, 2021).


Global distribution of Dahira svetsinjaevae. Map: © Tony Pittaway.

BIOGEOGRAPHICAL AFFILIATION

Holarctic; eastern Palaearctic region. Pleistocene refuge: Monocentric -- Yunnan refugium.


Return to Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic species list
© A. R. Pittaway & I. J. Kitching (Natural History Museum, London)