RETHERA BRANDTI O. Bang-Haas, 1937

RETHERA BRANDTI BRANDTI O. Bang-Haas, 1937

UK: Lesser Madder Hawkmoth

Rethera brandti brandti O. Bang-Haas, 1937, Ent. Z., Frankf. a. M. 50: 562.

Type locality: Elburz [Alborz] Mountains, northern Iran.


BIOGEOGRAPHICAL AFFILIATION

Holarctic; western Palaearctic region. Pleistocene refuge: Monocentric -- probably Iranian or Turanoeremic refuge.


ADULT DESCRIPTION AND VARIATION

Male Rethera brandti brandti, 10km NW Natanz, near Kashan, Esfahan Province, Iran, 1200m, 23.iv.2009. Photo: © Robert Young, Sphingidae Taxonomic Inventory, NHMUK, leg. J. Babics & T. Csovari.

Wingspan: 42--46mm. Quite distinct, though very similar to Rethera afghanistana Daniel, 1958; it can be confused only with a small Rethera komarovi (Christoph, 1885) but may be distinguished by its abdominal segments being edged with grey and the entirely green fourth segment. There is practically no variation.


Male Rethera brandti brandti, near Kashan, Esfahan Province, Iran. Photo: © Gergely Petrány.

ADULT BIOLOGY

Found on sparsely vegetated slopes up to 2000m. Like Rethera komarovi, this species is widely distributed as local populations containing large numbers of individuals. Comes to light, sometimes in great numbers.


Typical habitat of Rethera brandti brandti, near Kashan, Esfahan Province, Iran. Photo: © Jean Haxaire.

FLIGHT-TIME

Univoltine; April to mid-May; 23 April and 14-15 May at Natanz, near Kashan.


EARLY STAGES

Unknown.

Hostplants. Unknown, but probably species of Jaubertia/Plocama/Gaillonia under desertic conditions, and Galium or Rubia in more verdant areas.


PARASITOIDS

Unknown.


DISTRIBUTION

Thought to be restricted to the Alborz and Kopet-Dagh Mountains of northern Iran; however, some individuals from farther south near the Zagros Mouintains can also be assigned to this subspecies.

Extra-limital range. None.


Global distribution of Rethera brandti. Map: © Tony Pittaway.

OTHER SUBSPECIES

Eastern Turkey, eastern Iraq and western Iran as Rethera brandti euteles Jordan, 1937.


Return to species list