Confirmation of the presence of nominotypicalPapilio demoleus demoleusLinnaeus, 1758 (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) in Cyprus, with additional notes on breeding and potential colonization

Abstract

The arrival of Papilio demoleus Linnaeus, 1758 in Cyprus in 2021 signalled the species' first appearance in a country of the European Union attributable to range expansion from mainland coastal regions to the east, rather than by human-mediated activity. Molecular work on the Cyprus taxon has shown this to belong to nominotypical P. demoleus demoleus, matching exactly results of similar work carried out on specimens from Mediterranean Syria. Breeding of Papilio demoleus on three species of Citrus at various urban locations in Cyprus has been confirmed, and from which observations it is apparent that two broods were achieved in late summer/autumn of 2021. As has been the experience in neighbouring Mediterranean Turkey and Syria, overwintering success is thought likely.

The Alien to Cyprus Entomofauna (ACE) database: a review of the current status of alien insects (Arthropoda, Insecta) including an updated species checklist, discussion on impacts and recommendations for informing management

“…These families include minute species commonly identified as stored product and household pests, such as the snout moths Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton, 1866) and Ephestia elutella (Hübner, 1796) and gelechiid moths Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders, 1844) and Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier, 1789) (Morris 1937;Georghiou 1977). The sole exception is Papilio demoleus Linnaeus, 1758, a large alien butterfly reported only recently from Cyprus, but its impact on native biodiversity is still unknown (John et al 2021(John et al , 2022.…”