Rediscovery of Synemon selene (Lepidoptera: Castniidae) in the mid-north of South Australia

ABSTRACT

Klug [J.C.F.] has been rediscovered in the mid-north of South Australia. The species was thought to be locally extinct from South Australia since 1948 when it was last seen flying by F.M. Angel and N.B. Tindale near Two Wells, 20 km north of Adelaide. We compared adult males and females from the mid-north population with S. selene from the type locality, and also to the parthenogenetic populations in western Victoria. We also compare the mtDNA (COI) gene for S. selene from South Australia to the parthenogenetic populations in Victoria and several other Synemon species.

KEYWORDS:

• Integrative taxonomy
• larval hostplants
• life history
• sun-moths

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Thomas Simonsen and an anonymous reviewer for comments on the manuscript. Specimens were collected under permit number U23970 issued by the Department for Environment and Heritage. The authors are grateful to Peter Hudson for access to the SAMA Castniidae collection and to the helpful co-operation of the property owner. Host grasses were identified by Rosemary Taplin at the State Herbarium of South Australia.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

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Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a Lirabenda Endowment Fund from the Field Naturalists Society of South Australia [2018LEF_MIS].