Mniotype adusta subsp. adusta Esper 1790

Mniotype adusta adusta (Esper, 1790)

(Figs 15, 16, 59, 60, 88, 101)

Phalaena Noctua adusta Esper, [1790], Die Schmetterlinge in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen 4: 483 [1803], pl. 149 (Noct. 70), Figs 1–2 [1790] (Type locality: Germany, Frankfurt).

Synonymy: Noctua duplex Haworth, 1809 (Type locality: Great Britain); Noctua valida Hübner, [1813] (Type locality: Europe); Hadena vultarina Freyer, 1832 (Type locality: unknown); Hadena chardinyi Duponchel, [1838] 1836 (Type locality: [France]); Hadena pavida Boisduval, 1840 (Type locality: Russia); Hadena baltica O. Hering, 1846 (Type locality: [Poland] Danzig); Hadena adusta var. grisescens Standfuss, 1893 (Type locality: Italy, Corsica Island); Crino aterrina Constantini, 1916 (Type locality: Italy); Hadena adusta var. carpathica Kaucki, 1922 (Type locality: [Poland] Malpolski); Crino adusta subsp. lappona Rangnow, 1935 (Type locality: «Lappland»).

Material examined. 101 males, 78 females from Norway, Finland, Germany, Austria, Italy (Sicily), Ukraine (Poltava, Lvov areas), Russia (Karelia, Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Saint-Petersburg, Jaroslavl, Tver, Moscow, Perm, Ekaterinburg, Orenburg, Krasnojarsk, Irkutsk, Chita and Kamchatka areas, Jakutia), E Kazakhstan (Saur and Tarbagatai Mts), W Mongolia (Bayan-Ölgyi and Hovd aimaks) (Colls ZISP, SZMN, AVB, GBG / ZSM).

Slides AV0516, AV0668, AV0682, AV0683, AV0713, AV0734, AV0739 Volynkin (males), AV0702, AV0721 Volynkin (females), glycerine preparations of both sexes by Volynkin and Matov.

Additional material examined. 1 male, Kazakhstan, Kurdai env., 07.vi.2002, leg. Lind, slide 5838 Behounek (Coll. GBG / ZSM).

Note. The above specimen from north Tien Shan massif (SE Kazakhstan) has a habitus (Fig. 20) and genitalia (Fig. 66) close to those of the more northern populations. To clarify the status of the Tien Shan population, study of more extensive material is necessary.

Diagnosis. Wingspan 35–47 mm. The species is close to M. bathensis and M. kobyakovi. Externally M. adusta adusta varies strongly in wing and body colouration. Ground colour of forewings varies from reddish brown to brown or grayish brown. M. adusta adusta and M. bathensis occur sympatrically over a large part of their ranges in North Europe, Ural and South Siberia. In some regions of South Siberia these two taxa occur sympatrically with a third species, M. kobyakovi. All three taxa are highly variable externally; therefore, correct determination often requires study of the genitalia. In Europe, M. adusta adusta usually has a less contrasting pattern and darker hindwings than European populations of M. bathensis. In South Siberia, East Kazakhstan and West Mongolia, the unicolorous dark brown form of M. adusta adusta is common. South Siberian populations of M. adusta adusta were treated by Ronkay et al. (2001) as a subspecies ‘ M. adusta moesta (Staudinger, 1897) ’; however, study of material from these areas showed that apart from a unicolorous dark form, a typical European form is common here. Thus, Siberian populations can not be treated as a distinct subspecies. The Siberian unicolorous specimens of M. adusta adusta can be separated from M. bathensis by their less contrasting pattern and darker reniform. Distinguishing external features of M. adusta adusta from M. kobyakovi are described in the diagnosis of the latter. The genitalia of M. adusta (Figs 59, 60, 88, 101) are close to M. kobyakovi, M. juldussica, M. adjuncta and M. lama. Distinguishing features from these taxa are described in their diagnoses.

Distribution. Eurasian. Europe, North and East Kazakhstan, European part of Russia, Ural, Siberia, north of Russian Far East, west Mongolia, north Tien Shan massif.