''Zygaena romeo'' 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

Zygaenidae The Zygaenidae moths are a family of Lepidoptera. The majority of zygaenids are tropical, but they are nevertheless quite well represented in temperate regions. Some of the 1000 or so species are commonly known as burnet or forester moths, ofte ...

family.

Subspecies

*''Z. r. romeo'' *''Z. r. adumbrata'' Burgeff, 1926 *''Z. r. calcanei'' Rauch, 1975 *''Z. r. freyeri'' Lederer, 1853 *''Z. r. lozerica'' Holik, 1944 *''Z. r. megorion'' Burgeiff, 1926 *''Z. r. neapolitana'' Calberla, 1895 *''Z. r. orion'' Herrich-Schaffer, 1843 *''Z. r. parvorion'' Holik, 1944 *''Z. r. planeixi'' Dujardin, 1971

Distribution

This species can bes found in south and southwest

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

areas, in southern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, in the eastern

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

and in most of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

.Fauna europaea
/ref>

Habitat

These moths live on bushy forest edge with poor grassland, at an elevation of above sea level.
/ref>

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 about . The basic color of the forewings is dark blue, with various red markings. The 4th marking is drop-shaped and so big that often joins the 2nd marking. In case it does not join the 2nd, the 4th is very larger than the 3rd. Moreover the apex of the front wings is rounded.Natura Mediterraneo
/ref> This species is very similar to ''

Zygaena osterodensis ''Zygaena osterodensis'' is a moth of the family Zygaenidae. Subspecies *''Z. o. osterodensis'' *''Z. o. curvata'' Burgeff, 1926 *''Z. o. eupyrenaea'' Burgeff, 1926 *''Z. o. koricnensis'' Reiss, 1922 *''Z. o. mentzeri'' G. & H. Reiss, 1972 *''Z. ...

'', but in the latter the five red spots are almost always confluent into each other forming two parallel stripes. Moroeover in ''Z. osterodensis'' the apex of the forewings is pointed.

Biology

The larvae feed on ''

Vicia ''Vicia'' is a genus of over 240 species of flowering plants that are part of the legume family (Fabaceae), and which are commonly known as vetches. Member species are native to Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa. Some other ...

'' and ''

Lathyrus ''Lathyrus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae, and contains approximately 160 species. Commonly known as peavines or vetchlings, they are native to temperate areas, with a breakdown of 52 species in Europe, 30 species ...

''. They are fully grown between late April and early June, depending on altitude. Adults are on the wing in June and July. They fly during the day.

References

External links

Les Carnets du Lépidoptériste Français
Zygaena Moths described in 1835 Moths of Europe {{Zygaenidae-stub