Heterogynis sondereggeri De Freina, 2012

Host plants:
The larvae feed on Astragalus, most often Astragalus taygeteus. In rearing they accept other Fabaceae like Lotus and Securigera.

Habitat:
Heterogynis sondereggeri inhabits extensively grazed mountain slopes above the timber line.

Life cycle:
The adults are found in July and early August. The larvae hibernate and are mature in June. In early August 2019 I recorded last adults and already many young larvae.

Remarks:
Heterogynis sondereggeri has been so far considered an endemism of Greek Peloponnese. It is known from Mount Taygetos. There is a new and surprising record from S-Serbia. I cannot judge if this record is reliable. There are other species of Heterogynis in the Balkans.

Literature:
De Freina, J. J. (2011): Biologie, Verbreitung und Systematik des Komplexes von Heterogynis paradoxa RAMBUR, 1837 mit Beschreibung der Heterogynis yerayi sp. n. aus dem Kantabrischen Gebirge, Spanien (Lepidoptera: Zygaenoidea, Heterogynidae). — Nachrichten des Entomologischen Vereins Apollo, Neue Folge 32 (1/2): 9–24.

De Freina, J. J. (2012): Heterogynidae auf dem Balkan, mit Beschreibung von Heterogynis sondereggeri sp. n. aus den Hochlagen des Peloponnes (Lepidoptera: Zygaenoidea, Heterogynidae). — Nachrichten des entomologischen Vereins Apollo 33 (2/3): 129-138.

Vladimir Zikic, Sasa S. Stankovic, Bozenka Hric, Mircea-Dan Mitroiou, Martin Schwartz and Hans-Peter Tschorsnig (2015): First Records of Parasitoids of the Orders Hymenoptera (Ichneumonidae and Pteromalidae) and Diptera (Tachinidae) from Heterogynis sondereggeri de Freina, 2012 (Lepidoptera: Heterogynidae). - Acta zoologica bulgarica 67(3): 385-388.