Taxonomy of Rhodostrophia jacularia (Hübner, 1813) - a Sterrhinae moth with variable female wing shape (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

摘要

The phenomenon of gradual transformation of the wing shape and size in the Palaearctic sterrhine moth Rhodostrophia jacularia (Hübner, 1813) is described (Geometridae). The females of this species have shorter wings than the males throughout the species' distribution area, but they are capable of flying, apart from a mountain population in the Russian Altai near the Chinese and Mongolian border. These earthbound females run and jump on the ground and their facies is characterized by concave wing margins and smaller wing surfaces, unlike other specimens studied. The taxonomy of R. jacularia is revised, and a neotype is designated for R. jacularia because the original syntype(s) has been lost. R. jacularia ssp. minor Alpheraky, 1892 syn. n. and R. tyugui Vasilenko, 1998 syn. n. are downgraded to the synonymy of R. jacularia. R. jacularia is redescribed, the adults and genitalia are illustrated and a distribution map of the species is given.