Rediscovery of Muschampia leuzeae (Oberthür, 1881) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) in Algeria and additional notable sightings

Description

Information on Muschampia leuzeae (Oberthür, 1881) has been exceedingly scarce, with documented sightings remaining elusive up until present, what justified to be currently classified under the “Data Deficient” category on the IUCN Red List. This Algerian endemic has been documented only a few times, with the last recorded sighting by John Tennent in 1992 in the Djurdjura Mountains. Our recent expedition to northern Algeria, conducted from May 11th to 26th, 2024, marks a significant breakthrough as we rediscovered Muschampia leuzeae in the Djurdjura Mountains. This observation, after a gap of 32 years, also allowed the first-ever photographs of the species in its natural habitat.

In addition to this remarkable find, we also located the rare Muschampia mohammed (Oberthür, 1887) in the Djurdjura Mountains, another species endemic to the Maghreb region. M. mohammed has only been sporadically observed in Morocco and Algeria since 1992, but these sightings have not been previously published. Our discovery of both species highlights the importance of the Djurdjura Mountains as a critical habitat for these endemic butterflies. Moreover, our expedition yielded several other notable sightings, contributing valuable data to the understanding of butterfly diversity in this region. These findings show the need for continued conservation efforts and further research to protect these rare and endemic species in their natural habitats.