Introduction

It may be surprising to learn that moths such as Zygaenidae (although most of them are small) have been a source of inspiration to artists, such as the seventeenth century Dutch painter Otto Van Schriek who depicted Zygaena in his painting ( Efetov & Tarmann, 2008). Zygaenidae are rare in works of art, and similarly they are uncommon on postage stamps. A recent survey of over 14,000 legally issued Lepidoptera stamps worldwide ( Nazari, 2021) found only 68 (0.5%) stamps issued by 49 countries that portrayed species of the family Zygaenidae.

Results and discussion

The family Zygaenidae with more than 1.200 species is divided into five subfamilies, viz. Inouelinae Efetov & Tarmann, 2017, Zygaeninae Latreille, 1809 (with the tribes Pryeriini and Zygaenini), Callizygaeninae Alberti, 1954, Chalcosiinae Walker, 1865 (with the tribes Chalcosiini, Cyclosiini, Agalopini, Aglaopini, and Heteropanini), and Procridinae Boisduval, 1828 (with the tribes Artonini and Procridini) ( Can Cengiz et al. 2018; Efetov, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2005; Efetov et al. 2014, 2015, 2016; Efetov & Hayashi, 2008; Efetov & Tarmann, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017; Hofmann & Tremewan, 1996, 2017; Yen, 2003; Yen et al. 2005).

The above-mentioned 68 stamps ( Table 1) represent about 29 recognizable species of the family Zygaenidae and some other that are identifiable only at genus or family level. Zygaenidae on stamps belong only to three subfamilies, viz. Zygaeninae (42 stamps with Zygaenini), Chalcosiinae (23 stamps: 19 with Chalcosiini and 5 with Agalopini) and Procridinae (3 stamps: 2 with Procridini and 1 with Artonini).

Zygaeninae are represented by Epizygaenella caschmirensis (Kollar, 1844), Zygaena tamara Christoph, 1889, Zygaena laeta (Hübner, 1790), Zygaena brizae vesubiana Le Charles, 1933, Zygaena rubicundus (Hübner, 1817), Zygaena purpuralis (Brünnich, 1763), Zygaena hilaris Ochsenheimer, 1808, Zygaena carniolica (Scopoli, 1763), Zygaena occitanica (Villers, 1789), Zygaena rhadamanthus (Esper, 1789), Zygaena osterodensis Reiss, 1921, Zygaena transalpina (Esper, 1780), Zygaena filipendulae (Linnaeus, 1758), Zygaena trifolii (Esper, 1783) (Zygaenini).

Chalcosiinae are represented by Amesia sanguiflua (Drury, 1773), Erasmia pulchella Hope, 1840, Eterusia repleta Walker, 1864, Eterusia aedea edocla Doubleday, 1847, Gynautocera papilionaria Guérin-Méneville, 1831, Psaphis euschemoides (Moore, 1866) (Chalcosiini), Elcysma westwoodii (Snellen van Vollenhoven, 1863), Campylotes desgodinsi (Oberthür, 1884), Campylotes histrionicus Westwood, 1839 (Agalopini).

Procridinae are represented by Levuana iridescens Bethune-Baker, 1906 (Artonini), Adscita sp., Jordanita sp. (Procridini).

Some countries have depicted Zygaenidae more than once, including São Tomé and Príncipe (5 times), Nepal (4 times), CAR, Gambia, and Maldives (3 times), and Belarus, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Palau and Sierra Leone (twice). With 12 representations, Zygaena filipendulae is the most common species on stamps, followed by Erasmia pulchella (7), Zygaena carniolica (5), Zygaena occitanica (4), and Amesia sanguiflua (4). These species have all appeared in the stamps of more than one country. However, most species have appeared on stamps only once so far: Epizygaenella species (= E. caschmirensis, KAE ID) (Afghanistan 1971, figure 1), Zygaena [ brizae] vesubiana (Monaco 1984, figure 2), Z. laeta (Tanzania 1996, figure 3), Z. rhadamanthus (Spain 2010, figure 4), Z. rubicundus (Italy 1996, figure 5), Elcysma westwoodii (Japan 1986, figure 6), Eterusia aedea edocla (Nepal 2014, figure 7), and the supposedly-extinct ( Nazari et al. 2019) Levuana iridescens on the margin of a 2014 souvenir sheet from CAR ( figure 8). In fact, 11 out of the 68 Zygaenidae are depicted not on the stamps themselves, but on the margins of souvenir sheets.

Some other notable species include Zygaena occitanica ( figure 9), Z. tamara ( figure 10), Z. purpuralis ( figure 11), Campylotes desgodinsi ( figure 12), Amesia sanguiflua (named as “Erasmia sanguiflua”) ( figure 13), Eterusia repleta ( figure 14) and Gynautocera papilionaria ( figure 15).

The first philatelic Zygaenidae is a Z. carniolica that appeared on a full-color stamp issued by Switzerland in 1956 ( figure 16). Even though the name of the moth is not given, the excellent depiction allows for a proper identification. The latest Zygaenidae to appear on a stamp so far is a Zygaena filipendulae on a 2022 Moldova stamp (not shown).

Many Zygaenidae stamps do not offer any identifying information for the depicted moths, be it their scientific or common names. Some provide only a common name, for example “Zigena de las escabiosas” for a Zygaena osterodensis on a 1975 Equatorial Guinea stamp (not shown), The “Widderchen” for a Zygaena carniolica on a 1984 Berlin stamp (not shown), or the 2014 Marshall Islands stamp depicting a stylized Zygaena with the caption “Leaf Skeletonizer” ( figure 17). But even when scientific names are provided, misidentifications or misspellings are not uncommon. The worst example is an Erasmia pulchella (VN ID) on a 1976 Equatorial Guinea stamp ( figure 18) that is labelled “Chrysiridia madagascariensis” (!). Such misidentifications, however, are more often at genus or species levels. On two of the 2002 stamps issued by Gambia (not shown) where the moths are identified as Zygaena carniolica, one is a stylized Zygaena hilaris (KAE ID), and the other a stylized Zygaena filipendulae (Cosgrove ID). Similarly, the “BURNET MOTH [sic] Adscita statices” on a 2002 stamp from Turks and Caicos Islands ( figure 19) is in fact a Jordanita species (KAE ID). An example of misspelling is the Psaphis euschemoides on a 1997 Eritrea stamp, misspelled “eusehemoides” [sic] ( figure 20).

The early stages of Zygaena are very rarely shown on stamps. Portugal in 2018 issued stamps of Zygaena trifolii, which also included its caterpillar ( figure 21). Belarus (2016) depicted the caterpillar of Zygaena filipendulae on the frame of a souvenir block with five stamps showing the adults ( figure 22).

Sometimes Zygaenidae appear as a secondary subject or as decorative elements on stamps. Among the series “Forest fruits” issued by Romania in 1964, the stamp depicting the Woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) includes a gray scale Zygaena moth hovering around the plant ( figure 23). A 2002 Sierra Leone stamp (not shown) depicting a Rough-Fruited Cinquefoil Potentilia [sic] recta L. similarly has a moth resting on it.

Natural enemies of Zygaenidae have also made their way onto stamps. A Zygaena moth on a 2007 São Tomé and Príncipe stamp ( figure 24) is shown being hunted by a spider. The Somali series “Carnivorous Plants” issued in 2000 ( figure 25) includes a stamp with a Drosera bulbosa Hook (the red-leaved sundew) that has attracted what seems to be a Zygaena transalpina (KAE ID). Interestingly, while the plant is endemic to Western Australia, the moth is only found in Europe.

Acknowledgement

The research of the second author was supported financially by the RF Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Priority-2030 program N 075-15-2021-1323.

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Author notes

*Autor para la correspondencia / Corresponding author