Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1996, Page 108

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NOTES ON XESTIA ALPICOLA SSP. ATLANTICA NOV. ON THE FAROES
Plate 1. Xestia alpicola from Northwestern Europe
Figs. 1-2. X. alpicola alpicola: l.malefrom Arctic Norway, Lakselv 22.vii.1980. 2.female from Arctic Finland,
Kilpisjárvi 30.vi.1980 (bothfrom coll. ZMUC).
Figs: 3-5. X. alpicola atlantica from the Faroe Islands. 3 and 4: Kunoy, 14-23.viiJ996. 24-31 .vii.1996. 5.
female. Eiðiskollur 18.vii.1956.
Figs. 6-7. X. alpicola alpinafrom Scotland: 6: Without data. 7. Rannoch ex larva 1948 (bothfrom coll. ZMUC)
and Jalas (1977).- Compared with ssp.
alpina, the Faroe specimens show some
analogy by their faint purplish tint and
strong black markings of the forewing. On
the Faroe specimens the purplish ting its
mainly present around the reniform stigma
like in ssp. alpicola. The ssp. alpina is
genereally characterized by its reddish
forewing colour, which especially charac-
terizes the variegated Shetland specimens
depicted on plate 108 fig. 1-2 in South
(1939), and on plate 28 in Ford (1954), and
the specimens from the Scottish Highlands
in Perthshire and Aberdeenshire, depicted
by Ford (l.c.) and on plate 27 in Skinner
(1984) and here on Plate 1. The specimens
of ssp. alpina illustrated in the British
literature cited here, deviate furthermore
through their narrow forewings, although
the general wing span is similar to the
Faroe specimens, from 34-40 mm (Brether-
ton et al., 1983). This character is also pre-
sent in the Scottish specimens shown on
Plate I. From a zoogeographical point of