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FIGURES 6–9. An overview of diagnostic characters in the Palaearctic Hylaea fasciaria species group. Figure 6. H. fasciaria
(Linnaeus) (Denmark, 27.vi.1977). Figure 7. H. mediterranea, new species (Italy, Sicily, 5.vi.2005, paratype). Figure 8. H.
pinicolaria (Bellier) (France, Corsica, 20.-21.vii.2004). Figure 9. H. compararia (Staudinger) (Algeria, 23.vi.1911).

Forewing margin is weakly concave below apex. Only green specimens are known. We retain taxon valid at
subspecies level, due to the concave forewing margin, the narrow medial area and the conspicuous transverse lines
not reaching the forewing costa. The taxon is, according to current knowledge, allopatric and restricted to Turkey
(and Near East?). H. fasciaria ssp. flavella (Wehrli) (Figure 1e) has wings grey-yellowish, and forewing medial
line is not visible near costa. We have not had access to extensive materials from the Transcaucasus, apart from two
specimens from Georgia. Those were DNA barcoded, and they grouped together with other H. fasciaria
specimens. The type specimen of flavella has not been located (collection is not mentioned in the original
description), thus we have not been able to establish the identity of the Georgian specimens relative to flavella. We
follow Wehrli (1939–1954, p. 507), who cited Heydemann (1942), in his decision to raise the taxon to subspecies
rank, and retain taxon valid at subspecies level. The taxon is, according to current knowledge, allopatric and
restricted to Armenia (Transcaucasus). Scoble (1999) did not mention the taxon at all, Viidalepp (1996) consided it
valid at subspecies level.

Remarks. H. fasciaria ssp. cleui Leraut, illustrated in Leraut (2009) and Hausmann (2001; fig. 66), (Fig. 1g is
also close) is downgraded from subspecies rank to junior synonym to the nominal subspecies of H. fasciaria
(Linnaeus). Wings are purple-pink to crimson-red and medial lines are ash grey. Taxon is known from southern
French Alps. In the adjacent Valesia (southern Switzerland, >200 specimens examined in the ZSM) such forms are
dominant but mixed with green and red forms, potentially supporting the existence of a cline. This indicates that
cleui, although locally dominant phenotype, does not constitute a subspecies because it lacks disjunct external
features, and it is questionable whether the southern French Alps populations are geographically isolated from
other populations in the Alps. DNA barcodes are not available, so far, for French Alps populations.

474 · Zootaxa 3768 (4) © 2014 Magnolia Press SIHVONEN ET AL.