''Clarina syriaca'' is a
moth
Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...
of the family
Sphingidae
The Sphingidae are a family of moths (Lepidoptera) called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as “hornworms”; it includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, bu ...
. *
Distribution
It is found from northern
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
south to northern and western
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
,
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
, northern
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
and
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. It is also present in central
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
. In southern Turkey this species appears to have spread farther west in recent years and can now be found up to
Antalya
Antalya () is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, fifth-most populous city in Turkey as well as the capital of Antalya Province. Located on Anatolia's southwest coast bordered by the Taurus Mountains, Antalya is the largest Turkish cit ...
.
It is often treated as a subspecies of ''
Clarina kotschyi''.
It favours cultivated valley floors with boulder-strewn streams bordered by vine-covered trees and shrubs. It is also found on hillsides and in mountain valleys with shrubs and isolated trees, and in vineyards. In southern Turkey it is common in the valleys of the foothills of the Toros Mountains where they rise from the coastal plain. Villas and farmhouses with pergolas covered with grapevines are especially favoured.
Description
The
wingspan
The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...
is 50–65 mm. It is variable in colour (some individuals are more tawny than others) and size. Males are paler than females. The forewing upperside bands and lines are distinct. The pattern is similar to that of ''
Darapsa choerilus''. There are two generations per year with adults on wing from May to early July and again in August and September.
Clarina syriaca MHNT CUT 2010 0 505 Liban, female dorsal.jpg, ''Clarina syriaca'' ♀
Clarina syriaca MHNT CUT 2010 0 505 Liban, female ventral.jpg, ''Clarina syriaca'' ♀ △
Biology
The larvae have been recorded feeding on ''
Vitis
''Vitis'' (grapevine) is a genus of 79 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus is made up of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, b ...
'' and ''
Parthenocissus
''Parthenocissus'' , is a genus of tendril vine, climbing plants in the grape family (biology), family, Vitaceae. It contains about 12 species native plant, native to the Himalayas, eastern Asia and North America. Several are grown for ornamental ...
'' species. It generally favours vines of ''
Vitis vinifera
''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran. There are curre ...
'' hanging down walls, cliffs and from trees.
References
Macroglossini
Moths described in 1855
Taxa named by Julius Lederer
Moths of the Middle East
{{Macroglossini-stub