Ophrys regis-ferdinandii (Renz) Buttler, Jahresber. Naturwiss. Vereins Wuppertal 36: 47 (1983): (1983).

LSID: 912883-1
WCSP: not accepted
GBIF: not accepted

Synonyms/Synonyme
Ophrys speculum f. regis-ferdinandii eight. & Kellerer ex Renz in KHRechinger, Fl. Aegaea: 819
(1943).
Ophrys speculum subsp. regis-ferdinandii (Acht. & Kellerer ex Renz) Soó, Acta Bot. Acad. Sci.
Hung. 16: 390 (1970).
Ophrys vernixia subsp. regis-ferdinandii (Acht. & Kellerer ex Renz) Renz & Taubenheim, Notes
Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 41: 277 (1983).
Ophrys ciliata subsp. regis-ferdinandii (Acht. & Kellerer ex Renz) H.Baumann, Künkele & R.Lorenz, J. Eur. Orch. 36: 572 (2004).

Diagnosis/Diagnose
The first two descriptions are invalid because they were written in German. The mandatory reference date for the Latin diagnosis is 1935-01-01. Therefore, Renz (1943) published the taxon for the first time in compliance with the rules.

Terra typica
Rhodes/Rhodos

Type and oldest illustration
According to Buttler (1983), photo of the plant brought along and collected on 1933-04-14; which was further cultivated in the botanical garden of Sofia von Kellerer and was probably photographed by Akhtaroff in the following spring, in Keller (1935): Plate 186, Fig. 3.
Fig. 161/2: Holotype according to Baumann et al. (2004; their fig. 16): Achtaroff & Kellerer, Izv. Carsk. Prirod. Insi. Sofia 12: 207, fig. 1, 1939; Greece, Rhodes, Filiramo, 1933-04-14, leg.Ferdinand I of Bulgaria No. 14269 (SOM).

Etymology
Named after the first finder, King Ferdinand I of Bulgaria.

Possible confusion
None. F- and BC-hybrids with Ophrys speculum may be similar.

Variability
Barely

Flowering phenology

Fruit set
unknown

Pollinator insects
Argogorytes fargeii (Paulus & Hirth 2011)
This finding is indeed a surprise, because Argogortyes spec. also pollinates Ophrys insectifera and Ophrys cilicica. This explains the slim lip shape of all three Ophrys species.

Chromosome number
unknown

Ecology
Sparse forests, garrigues, poor grasslands, gravel areas, former grassland, on dry to fresh, base-rich soils.

Altitude distribution

General distribution
Observation map of Ophrys regis-ferdinandii (NG: 2020-10).

Hybrids
Ophrys regis-ferdinandii x cornuta        = x mariae
Ophrys regis-ferdinandii x mammosa  = x lydia
Ophrys regis-ferdinandii x speculum    = x buttleri