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The first record of Pyrgus malvoides (Elwes & Edwards, 1897) in the Czech Republic (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae): an accidental introduction?
expand article infoVladimír Hula‡, Jana Niedobová‡
‡ Mendel University, Brno, Czech Republic

Corresponding author: Vladimír Hula ( hula@mendelu.cz )

Academic editor: Zdenek Fric
© 2014 Vladimír Hula, Jana Niedobová.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation: Hula V, Niedobová J (2014) The first record of Pyrgus malvoides (Elwes & Edwards, 1897) in the Czech Republic (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae): an accidental introduction? Nota Lepidopterologica 37(1): 3-8. https://doi.org/10.3897/nl.37.7936
ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A10070BE-B52B-4B2E-AD78-3777910CDF97
Open Access

Abstract

The Mediterranean skipper, Pyrgus malvoides (Elwes & Edwards, 1897), is newly recorded for the Czech Republic, some 400 km away from its nearest known population. The specimen was collected in June 1993 in Hejná, Bohemia and was discovered in the collection of Oldřich Jakeš during a revision of other Pyrgus species. The presence of this species elsewhere in the region could not be established and the best current explanation for this record is that it was an accidental introduction.

Introduction

In recent decades, only a few new butterfly species have been recorded in the fauna of the Czech Republic. For example, in the last ten years Pyrgus trebevicensis (Warren, 1926) (Beneš et al. 2001; Hanč 2011) and Spialia orbifer (Hübner, 1823) (Šumpich 2011) (both Hesperiidae) were recorded for the first time in the Czech Republic, and just two additional species were discovered during the last 20 years: Leptidea reali Reissinger, 1989 (Pieridae) and Hyponephele lupinus (Costa, 1836) (Nymphalidae); the first one very abundant and the latter already extinct, discovered as a museum specimen (Králíček and Povolný 1992; Laštůvka et al. 1995).

During a revision of skippers belonging to the genus Pyrgus (Hübner, 1819), an unusual specimen was found in the collection of Oldřich Jakeš with the collecting data: CZ – Bohemia, Hejná, 1.vi.1993, Jakeš, O. lgt. (see Fig. 1). This locality is in the foothills of Šumava Mts. near the town of Sušice (49°17’13”N, 13°40’18”E); it is covered by supramontane xeric vegetation on limestone, and is part of the Pučanka Nature Reserve.

Figures 1–5. 

1. Grid square map of the Czech Republic with marked square of record of Pyrgus malvoides (Elwes & Edwards, 1897). 2–3. The collected specimen Pyrgus malvoides, CZ – Bohemia, Hejná, 1.vi.1993, Jakeš, O. lgt. et coll., Hula, V. det. 4. Male genitalia (valva, lateral view) of collected specimen P. malvoides. 5. General view from the collecting locality of limestone quarry.

It was immediately noticed that this male specimen was unusually large and had different colouration from the common Pyrgus malvae (Linnaeus, 1758), which is known to occur in the region. The wingspan of this specimen is 16 mm, which is about three millimetres greater than the 11–13 mm wingspan described by Slamka (2004) for P. malvae, and it has a light brown colour (Figs 2, 3), which is atypical for P. malvae in the Czech Republic. After this discovery, the first author decided to examine more material from across the Czech Republic. The results of this investigation, presented below, led us to conclude that this unusual specimen is actually P. malvoides (Elwes & Edwards, 1897).

Methods

The examined collections are listed below. All material is from the Czech Republic. The first author focused on the determination of different specimens of P. malvae from the region, studying 13 specimens from 6 localities near the foothills of Šumava Mts, and then the first author examined more material from other localities in the Czech Republic to attempt to find another specimen of P. malvoides. In addition to the examination of external characters, all genitalia were dissected and determined by the first author (det. V. Hula).

Abbreviations

Collections

AP – Alois Pavlíčko, private collection, in Prachatice, Czech Republic

MM – Miroslav Mikát, private collection, in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic

MZMB – Moravian museum Brno, in Brno, Czech Republic

OJ – Oldřich Jakeš, private collection, in Brno, Czech Republic

PS – Pavel Skala, private collection, in Praha, Czech Republic

RMM – Regional museum Mikulov, in Mikulov, Czech Republic

VCMHK – East-bohemian museum Hradec Králové, in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic

VCMP – East-bohemian museum Pardubice, in Pardubice, Czech Republic

VH – Vladimír Hula, private collection, in Brno, Czech Republic

ZCMP – West-bohemian museum Pilsen, in Pilsen, Czech Republic

ZFF – Zdeněk Faltýnek Fric, Institute of Entomology, in České Budějovice, Czech Republic

ZN – Zdeněk Navrátil, private collection, in Brno, Czech Republic

Other abbreviations

NPR – National nature reserve

PP – Nature monument

PR – Nature reserve

Material examined

Bohemia: Rakovník – Papírna, 4.vi.1991 (1 ex), leg., det. et coll. VH. PR Niva u Ždírce nad Doubravou, 28.v.2003 (2 ex), leg., det. et coll. VH. Bražec, 7.vi.2002 (1 ex), leg., det. et coll. VH. Kramolín - Podhora, 20.vi.2003 (1 ex), leg., det. et coll. VH. Plzeň, 28.iv.1957 (2 ex), 9.v.1946 (1 ex.), 25.iv.1966 (1 ex), 27.iv.1966 (1 ex.), leg. Vl. Skala, coll. ZCMP; 23.iv.1960 (1 ex), leg. Fraj, coll. ZCMP; Dub. vrch, 9.v.1955 (1 ex), 14.iv.1946 (2 ex), leg. Vl. Skala, coll. ZCMP. Dobřany, Břez. vrch, 20.v.1956 (1 ex), leg. Vl. Skala, coll. ZCMP; 28.v.1956 (1 ex), leg. Vl. Skala, coll. ZCMP. Chlístov, 6.vi.1954 (1 ex), leg. Vl. Skala, coll. ZCMP; Jarov, 22.v.1925 (1 ex), coll. ZCMP; Vladař, 1908 (1 ex), coll. ZCMP; NPR Vyšenské kopce, 20.vi.2001 (1 ex), leg. et coll. ZFF; Hředle, 27.v.1995 (1 ex), leg. et coll. ZFF; Hlinky, 19.vi.1994 (1 ex), leg. J. Franz, coll. VH; Police nad Metují, 9.iv.1944 (1 ex), leg. G. Petr, coll. VCMHK; Srbsko, 21.v.1961 (1 ex), 9.v.1962 (1 ex) coll. VCMHK; Číhaná, 22.v.1971 (1 ex), 9.vi.1972 (1 ex), leg. J. Franz, coll. VH; Nové Kounice, 30.v.1992 (1 ex), leg. J. Franz, coll. VH; Rybničná, 28.iv.1996 (1 ex), 29.v.1991 (1 ex), 31.v.1991 (1 ex), leg. J. Franz, coll. VH; Javorná, 3.vi.1972 (1 ex), leg. J. Franz, coll. VH; Pila, 27.vi.1991 (1 ex), leg. et coll. VH; Horní Tašovice, 31.v.1972 (1 ex), leg. Franz J., coll. VH; Teplička, 14.v.1992 (1 ex), leg. Franz J., coll. VH; Německý Chloumek, 9.vi.1972 (1 ex), leg. Franz J., coll. VH; Česká Třebová, 20.v.1964 (1 ex), leg. Široký L., coll. VCMHK; PP Báň, Hradčany, 1.v.2001 (1 ex), leg. et coll. MM; PP Na Plachtě, Hradec Králové, 15.v.2001 (1 ex), 25.v.2002 (1 ex), leg. et coll. MM; Vysoká and Labem, 8.v.1976 (1 ex), leg. et coll. MM; Slezia, Těšín, 18.v.1930 (1 ex), coll. VCMHK; Oblík, 2.v.1987 (1 ex), leg. Pacl, coll. VCMHK; Prachatice, 18.v.1982 (1 ex), 27.v.1978 (1 ex), 20.vi.1978 (1 ex), 26.iv.1981 (1 ex), 29.iii.1980 (1 ex), 10.vii.1977 (1 ex), leg. et coll. AP; Setuň, Prachatice, 24.v.1985 (1 ex), leg. et coll. AP; Irů Dvůr, Prachatice, 9.v.1986 (1 ex), leg. et coll. AP; Lípa, Prachatice, 10.vii.1977 (1 ex), leg. et coll. AP; Kunětická hora - Ráby, 9.v.1994 (1 ex), leg. J. Macourek, coll. VCMP; Střížovický vrch, Ústí nad Labem, 8.v.2002 (2 ex), leg. et coll. VH; PR Pučanka, Hejná, 1.iv.1993 (1 ex), leg. OJ, coll. VH; Klíčava, (1 ex), leg. Dr. Vl. Vala, coll. RMM. Moravia: Filipovské údolí, 5.vi.1951 (1 ex), leg. Dr. Vl. Vala, coll. RMM; Lideřovice, 11.v.1950 (2 ex), leg. Dr. Vl. Vala, coll. RMM; Luhačovice, 20.v.1946 (1 ex), 13.v.1951 (1ex), leg. Dr. Vl. Vala, coll. RMM; Uherské Hradiště, 9.v.1949 (1 ex), leg. Dr. Vl. Vala, coll. RMM; Křiščanovice, 13.v.1947 (1 ex), leg. Dr. Vl. Vala, coll. RMM; Břeclav, 13.viii.1979 (1 ex), leg. E. Sandtner, coll. RMM; Valtice, 28.iv.1968 (1 ex), 10.v.1975 (1 ex), leg. E. Sandtner, coll. RMM; Milovice, 18.vii.1962 (1 ex), leg. Minařík, coll. RMM; NPR Malhotky, 25.vi.2004 (1 ex), leg., det. et coll. VH; Moravský Krumlov, 3.vi.1944 (1 ex), coll. MZMB; Senorady, 29.v.1935 (1 ex), leg. Lemberk, coll. MZMB; Habrůvka, 26.v.1982 (1 ex), leg. Kotlán and Vepřek, coll. MZMB; Hády, 1962-1982 (1 ex), leg. Kotlán and Vepřek, coll. MZMB; Macošská Stráň, 4.vi.1994 (1 ex), leg. et coll. PS; Brno - Medlánky, 30.iv.1994 (1 ex), leg. J. Macourek, coll. VCMP; 15.v.1983 (1 ex), leg. R. Čech, coll. ZN. Macošská Stráň, 20.vi.1995 (1 ex), leg. J. Macourek, coll. VCMP; Želešice, 30.v.1991 (1 ex), leg. J. Macourek, coll. VCMP; Perná, CHKO Pálava, 9.vi.2006 (1 ex), leg. et coll. OJ; Mohelno, 29.v.1977 (1 ex), leg. et coll. ZN; Kamenný vrch, Brno, 6.v.1979 (3 ex), leg. et coll. ZN; Soběšice, 11.v.1977 (1 ex), leg. et coll. ZN; Radějov, 25.iv.1948 (4 ex), 26.vi.1954 (1 ex), leg. Dr. Vl. Vala, coll. RMM.

Results and discussion

Twelve collections from 58 sites in the Czech Republic were studied. This included 88 specimens of P. malvae from a wide range of territories in the Czech Republic, and even one specimen of P. malvae from the same locality as the P. malvoides was found. A thorough search uncovered no other specimens of P. malvoides.

Pyrgus malvoides is a typical west-Mediterranean species with its distribution ending in Slovenia, Italy, westernmost Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and France (Kaufmann 1955; Aistleitner 1996; Lepidopterologen Arbeitsgruppe 1997; Karsholt and Nieukerken 2011). Some authors consider the taxon P. malvoides only as a subspecies of P. malvae (see Tolman and Lewington 1997; Kudrna et al. 2011). These taxa are able to hybridize on the border of their distribution (Guillaumin 1962, 1971) and the hybrids show characters of both species (Albeti 1956). De Jong (1972, 1987) studied the whole complex of species in the P. malvae group and summarised the distribution of all species, specific characters and morphological phylogeny of the group. In this work clear morphological differences in male and female genitalia can be found. The specimen of P. malvoides that we discovered in the collection of Oldřich Jakeš has no marks of hybridisation (Fig. 4).

The origin of the specimen is unclear. All available material of P. malvae from the region (the foothills of Šumava Mts., the mainly limestone regions and some other places across the whole Czech Republic) was investigated. It is very unlikely that undiscovered populations exist because the butterfly fauna of the Czech Republic has been very well investigated (Beneš and Konvička 2002). It is also unlikely that P. malvoides had flown in from the nearest population, which is about 400 kilometres distant.

It is likely that this specimen of P. malvoides was accidentally introduced into the locality. There are several possibilities, but the most probable seems to be the introduction by mining techniques, as the locality is in the vicinity of a very large limestone quarry (Fig. 5) owned by the French company Lafarge. Nevertheless, it is an interesting record of this species in Central Europe, and illustrates the importance of paying close attention even to species as common as Pyrgus malvae.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Oldřich Jakeš for providing the material of P. malvae and P. malvoides and all information about collecting. We are grateful to all who shared their Pyrgus collections. Thanks to anonymous referees for their comments. Many thanks to Marina Isaac for proofreading. This study was funded by the Internal Grant Agency of Agronomical Faculty (IGA TP6/2013 and TP 7/2014) and the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology (73/2013) of Mendel University.

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