ID help please - moth (Prodotis?) from Kuwait (1 Viewer)

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Phil Davison

New member

• Dec 8, 2017

• #1

Hi all, would be very grateful for any help with identifying this moth, found in Kuwait in October. From a bit of research, it looks a lot like Prodotis (Grammodes) boisdeffrii, but I'm not sure if that species occurs in the Kuwait region.
Many thanks, Phil Davison

 

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honeym

Well-known member

• Dec 8, 2017

• #2

It does look rather similar but I'm not certain if it has been recorded from Kuwait (Algeria, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Egypt). In fact, I've only seen a few papers published on the Lepidoptera from Kuwait. I'll be at the Natural History Museum next week and could have a look at the collection. By the way, it would not be Prodotis (Grammodes) boisdeffrii as Grammodes is the older name.
Martin

 

Last edited: Dec 8, 2017

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Phil Davison

New member

• Dec 11, 2017

• #3

Thanks Martin, that matches the range info that I could find on that species, hence my caution on the ID - so I'm wondering if there could be a similar species further east that I'm not aware of.

 

honeym

Well-known member

• Dec 11, 2017

• #4

Hi
I've just come across a paper citing this species for the first time from Iran, so I would assume that it therefore also occurs in Kuwait - but probably as a new country record. The paper is:

Esfandiari, M., Mossadegh, M.S., Shishehbor, P., Mikkola, K. [deceased] & Hodjat, S.H. 2010. Four noctuid (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) taxa new for the fauna of Iran. Phegea 38: 62-67 [http://www.phegea.org/Phegea/2010/Phegea38-2_62-67.pdf].

Martin

 

Last edited: Dec 11, 2017

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Phil Davison

New member

• Dec 12, 2017

• #5

That's great, thanks Martin - the location of the Iranian specimen in that paper looks like being only 70 miles from my Kuwait sighting, so it's given me considerably more confidence in the ID.

 

honeym

Well-known member

• Dec 14, 2017

• #6

Just a brief up-date.
I looked at the NHM collection today and there are specimens there from Arabia.
Martin