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Agriphila
biarmica
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Subspecies
There are several
subspecies, two of which might be present in Germany: Agriphila
biarmica biarmica and Agriphila biarmica alpina.
Synonyms
Synonymy of Agriphila biarmica biarmica
(Tengström, 1865)
Crambus biarmicus Tengström, 1865
Agriphila biarmicus (Tengström, 1865)
Agriphila biarmica (Tengström, 1865)
Agriphila biarmica biarmica
(Tengström, 1865)
Agriphila biarmica biarmica f. pallida
Strand, 1900 (excluded name under Article 1.3.4.)
The etymology of the word "biarmicus" is unclear and debated. One
notion suggests that it is a creation from latin "bi" (=two) and greek
ormiskos (=ornament). This is the most likely interpretation for the
meaning of "biarmicus" in the species names of Panurus biarmicus and
Falco biarmicus: both species have conspicuous black streaks on both
sides of the head, and thus display "two ornaments". The second notion
suggests that "biarmicus" is related to Biarmia, a very old name for
the area from Finland and the baltic countries to north-western Russia.
This is an unlikely interpretation for Panurus biarmicus and Falco
biarmicus, because these species do not occur there. However, the area
of ancient Biarmia is virtually identical to the range of Agriphila
biarmica. Thus, I suggest that "biarmicus" in this context has the
meaning "from Biarmia" and thus is a latinized adjective that has to be
adjusted in gender to the genus. The correct form is thus: Agriphila
biarmica.
Distribution
A. b.
biarmica occurs in Scandinavia, the baltic states and north-west
Russia; a disjunct population is reported from the Alps. The Alps are
also the home of A. b. alpina. The exact distribution of these two
subspecies in the Alps is unknown. If they can be shown to be
overlapping, then this would be a strong indication that these
represent two separate species. Since the exact alpine range is not
known, it is possible that both subspecies occur in the Bavarian Alps,
but records are lacking so far.
This page has been
updated on February 07, 2009
This site is online since May 31, 2005
Copyright © by Nikola-Michael Prpic. All rights reserved.
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