Cross gentian blue ant

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Cross gentian blue ant
Blue gentian ant (Phengaris rebeli)

Blue gentian ant ( Phengaris rebeli )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Bluebirds (Lycaenidae)
Subfamily : Polyommatinae
Genre : Phengaris
Type : Cross gentian blue ant
Scientific name
Phengaris rebeli
( Hirschke , 1904)
Main distribution areas of the cross gentian ant blue in Germany according to Siewers (2009)

The blue gentian ant ( Phengaris rebeli , syn .: Maculinea rebeli ) is a butterfly species endemic in Europe with a distribution area from northern Spain through central southern Europe to eastern Europe. The main occurrence of this bluing is in eastern France. In Germany you can find it mainly in the Franconian and Swabian Alb .

features

The blue has a wingspan of 3 to 4 centimeters. The underside of the wing is light gray and shows black spots with light borders. The upper side of the wings of the male is intensely blue, that of the female is dark gray-brown. Both sexes have a narrow, up to 2 mm wide black band on the edge of the wing, which is followed by a white, fringed edge. Compared to most other Phengaris species, the males lack the black post-discal spots on the upper side, which in the female hardly stand out from the ground. There are strong similarities to the closely related blue gentian blue , which, however, occurs in other habitats.

Ecology and hazard

The blue gentian is a not very mobile and extremely true to location species that is bound to limestone grasslands. Individuals show a flight distance of a maximum of 2.5 kilometers. Their flight time extends from mid-June to mid-July. At this time the female lays her white eggs on the cross gentian ( Gentiana cruciata ), the only host plant. Here the caterpillars feed on the anthers, ovaries and seeds of the flower. After the third molt in late summer, they drop to the ground and enter their nests by a species of knot ants , Myrmicaschencki . There they are fed as breeding parasites by their hosts until they pupate in the next year. To adapt, the butterfly larvae imitate the smell of ant larvae between which they lie. In addition, they make noises similar to queen ants, so that they are even given priority in the event of danger.

The dependence of the blue gentian on knot ants and cross gentians on the increasingly rare limestone grasslands and its low mobility explain its threatening situation. The species is considered endangered across Germany according to the Red List (Category 2). With the fallow management near Tauberbischofsheim , a nature reserve with a population of around 900 sticks of the cross gentian was created by ordinance of the Stuttgart regional council of December 17, 2014, in which the cross gentian blue ant finds ideal and henceforth secure living conditions.

Taxonomy

The species status and independence of Phengaris rebeli is disputed due to molecular, chemical and morphological / ecological reasons. Possibly it is more an ecotype of the variable Maculinea alcon adapted to warm, dry habitats . Although a synonymisation is obvious, it is still avoided by many due to the protection of species.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ G. Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 2: Tagfalter II. Ulmer, Stuttgart 1991, pp. 291-296.
  2. ^ A b c M. Siewers: Der Kreuzenzian-Ameisenbläuling (Maculinea rebeli) On the situation and development of the occurrences in the district Höxter in the period from 1990 to 2008. In: Contributions to the natural history between Egge and Weser. 21, 2009, pp. 3-14.
  3. ↑ Swiss Federation for Nature Conservation (ed.): Butterflies and their habitats. Species, endangerment, protection. Basel 1987, DNB 95408635X .
  4. ^ List of host ant species for blue ant species
  5. ↑ GW Elmes, JC Wardlaw, JA Thomas: Larvae of Maculinea rebeli, a large blue butterfly, and their Myrmica host ants: patterns of caterpillar growth and survival. In: Journal of Zoology. 224, 1991, pp. 79-92.
  6. ↑ Ewen Callaway: Parasitic butterflies dupe hosts with ant music. In: NewScientist. 2009, accessed February 9, 2009.
  7. ↑ D. Derbyshire: Getting it off their chest: Study reveals how ants talk to each other. UK Daily Mail, 2009, accessed 9 February 2009.
  8. ↑ Fränkische Nachrichten : “Brachenleite”: Declaration as a nature reserve decided / District President Schmalzl: Supraregional importance for the former military training area / 64.4 hectares are placed under protection . January 22, 2015. Online at www.fnweb.de. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  9. ↑ Main-Post : TAUBERBISCHOFSHEIM: The former training site is a nature reserve . February 18, 2015. Online at www.mainpost.de. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  10. ↑ Zdenek Fric, Niklas Wahlberg, Pavel Pech, Jan Zrzavy: Phylogeny and classification of the Phengaris – Maculinea clade (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae): total evidence and phylogenetic species concepts. In: Systematic Entomology. 32, 2007, pp. 558-567. doi: 10.1111 / j.1365-3113.2007.00387.x
  11. ↑ FM Steiner, BC Schlick-Steiner, H. Höttinger, A. Nikiforov, K. Moder, E. Christian: Maculinea alcon and M. rebeli (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) - one or two Alcon Blues? Larval cuticular compounds and egg morphology of East Austrian populations. In: Annals of the Natural History Museum Vienna. 107 B, 2006, pp. 165-180.
  12. ↑ Pavel Pech, Zdenek Fric, Martin Konvic, Jan Zrzavy: Phylogeny of Maculinea blues (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) based on morphological and ecological characters: evolution of parasitic myrmecophily. In: Cladistics. 20, 2004, pp. 362-375.

Web links

Commons : Blue gentian ant ( Phengaris rebeli )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files