Pyropteron euglossaeformis Bartsch & Pühringer & Milla & Lingenhöle & Kallies 2021, stat. rev.

Pyropteron euglossaeformis (Lucas, 1849) stat. rev.

(Figs 103–105, 109, 116)

Sesia euglossaeformis Lucas, 1849: Exploration scientifique de l’Algérie pendant les années 1840, 1841, 1842. Sciences physiques, Zoologie, 3: 368. Syntypes: 2♀, Algeria, Camp de Setif (lost).

This species was synonymized with P. doryliformis by Staudinger (1871), which was followed by subsequent authors (e.g. Špatenka et al. 1999). The type specimens are considered to be lost (Špatenka et al. 1999), and our own efforts to locate them were unsuccessful. The geographical location of the type locality in eastern Algeria and the dark brown ground colour of the specimen figured by Lucas (1849) indicate that the specimens from Tunisia documented here belong to the same species. To stabilize the nomenclature, we designate a male specimen from Tunisia as neotype (Fig. 103) and provide a redescription of the species.

Redescription. Male. Alar expanse 20–22 mm (neotype 22 mm). Head with labial palps brown, basally whitish, ventral scale tuft blackish-brown; frons dark brownish-grey with weak purple shine; vertex glossy black; pericephalic scales bronze-brown dorsally mixed with black; antenna black, sparsely dusted with pale brown scales. Thorax and legs dark bronze-brown, dusted with brown and ochreous; tegulae with fine ochreous inner margins; thorax laterally with brown spot; tibia of hind leg ochrous-brown, inner side as well as tarsus and spurs of all legs whitish. Wings with scaled parts bronze-brown; forewing with transparent areas well developed, the PTA reaching discal spot, ETA as broad as discal spot, narrower than high, consisting of five cells; hindwing hyaline, margins narrow, discal spot small, extending somewhat below of vein M2. Abdomen dark bronze-brown, dusted with brown and ochrous, with narrow silver-white posterior margins of tergites 2, 4, 6 and 7, most distinct on tergite 4; anal tuft blackish-brown, medially and laterally as well as outer sides of valva paler brown.

Male genitalia. Gnathos flaps very narrow, medial one present, long and narrow; valva apically strongly pointed, crista sacculi ventrad curved.

Female. Alar expanse 15 mm. Almost completely dark chocolate brown with weak bronze shine; inner margin of tegulae without bright border; tibia and tarsus off all legs somewhat paler brown; wings also somewhat paler with slight greenish tinge, transparent parts similar to male but ETA smaller than discal spot.

Female genitalia. Papillae anales and segment eight rather short and broad; antrum sclerotized, for the entire length of almost equal width; corpus bursae round, without signum.

Diagnosis. Most similar to P. doryliformis; especially males can be easily confused. P. euglossaeformis differs by the monochromatic bronze-brown coloration of the body, the pure black vertex (mixed with paler scales in P. doryliformis) and the somewhat rectangular shape of the ETA (round in P. doryliformis). Females can be recognized by the unique dark chocolate brown coloration and by the lack of any red or yellowish scales on head and thorax. Furthermore, both sexes lack the yellow-white spot dorsally on the metathorax, which is always present in P. doryliformis. The genitalia of the males have the gnathos flaps narrower, the middle one shorter and the valva with distal margin clearly concave and apically strongly pointed (distal margin less concave or straight, apex nearly rightangled in P. doryliformis). The genitalia of the females have the papillae anales and segment 8 shorter and broader, antrum longer (shorter, medially constricted in P. doryliformis) and the corpus bursae without sclerotization (with round, sclerotized area near ductus bursae in P. doryliformis).

Barcodes. P. euglossaeformis together with P. icteropus forms the sister clade of P. ceriaeformis.

Biology and habitat. The hostplant is an unidentified bitter-tasting species of Rumex (pers. observation Bläsius).

Distribution. Only known from north-eastern Algeria (Lucas 1849) and from Tunisia (here).

Specimens examined. Neotype ♂ (Fig. 103) with labels: “ 18.III.2001 e.l. / Tunesien / Ain Draham / leg. R. Bläsius”; “ Neotypus / Sesia euglossaeformis / Lucas, 1849 / ♂ / D. Bartsch, des. 2020”. Further specimens: 1♀ (Fig. 105), Tunisia, Ain Draham, e.l. 26.III.2001 (Bartsch gen. prep. 2019-39) (Fig. 116) (SMNS); 3♂, ibid., (CWS); 2♂, ibid., 28.V.1999 (BOX-2219 F08) (CFP); 2♂ (Fig. 104), ibid., 28. and 29.V.1999; 1♂, Tunisia, Tabarka, e.p. 14.VI.1999 (Bartsch gen. prep. 2019-38) (Fig. 109) (CDB); 1♂, Tunisia, Makthar 15 km W Kesra, 1000 m, 9.VI.2000 (CCDB-04684 G10) (CFP), all specimens leg. RB; 1♂, Tunisia, N, 2 km E Tabarka, 45 m, L 22.IV.2001, leg. Hoppe & Fischer (CCDB-04686 F05) (coll. H. Fischer).