The approximately 11,000 known butterfly species in Europe are actually considered well-researched. The discovery of a new genus and species from the peepers family, called Dalmatian winter moth (Mirlatia arcuata), is all the more surprising.
Researchers from Germany, Austria and Great Britain have now described the new species for the first time in the journal “ZooKeys”. For Innsbruck expert Peter Huemer, the find is “one of the most remarkable discoveries in the butterfly world in recent decades.”
To create the genus name Mirlatia, the roots of two Latin words were combined, which loosely translated means ‘to bring a surprise’. In fact, the road to the surprising discovery was winding, as researchers led by Axel Hausmann of the SNSB State Zoological Collection in Munich and the head of the natural science collections of the Tyrolean State Museums in Innsbruck, Peter Huemer, report.
The species was found in the 1980s
In the early 1980s, Austrian amateur entomologist Robert Hentscholek collected three specimens of a butterfly species in southern Dalmatia (Croatia), which were added to his collection or passed on to colleagues without further identification.
Many years later his collection was sold to the Austrian amateur researcher Toni Mayr. He became aware of the unusual, almost three centimeter long insect, which stood out from all known European species and could not even be classified into a known genus.
Hentscholek was contacted and it turned out that he had given a male and a female specimen of the same species to another collector who had since passed away. The female was rediscovered in 2015 in the collection of the Natural History Museum Vienna, the other specimen remained missing. Mayr donated his male specimen to the Tyrolean State Museum in Innsbruck.
Received with genetic testing in the previous year
Last year, the research team began the morphological and genetic examination of the two specimens, leading to their description as a new genus and species. The discovery of a large and striking butterfly species in a well-researched region like southern Croatia may seem unlikely, but in fact surprisingly little research has been conducted in this area during the butterfly’s flight season, Huemer told APA.
“It is possible that Mirlatia arcuata is a cold-adapted, winter-active species that should be searched for in mid-winter.” The study authors dismissed the possibility that the species was introduced from other continents for several reasons. Despite all their efforts, researchers have not yet been able to clarify the relationships between the new genus and the species. They hope that further whole-genome studies will provide more clarity here.
No living animals have been found so far
An extensive search for additional living specimens in the original discovery area in March of the previous year was unsuccessful. Possibly because the butterfly’s flying season had already ended due to global warming. Regardless, the study authors hope they will soon rediscover Mirlatia arcuata and learn more about its habitat requirements and biology.
Source: Krone
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
