Adscita albanica

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Adscita albanica
Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Ram (Zygaenidae)
Subfamily : Green ram (Procridinae)
Genre : Adscita
Type : Adscita albanica
Scientific name
Adscita albanica
( Naufock , 1926)

Adscita albanica , the cranesbill green ram , is a butterfly fromthe ram family (Zygaenidae).

features

The moths reach a wing length of 9.5 to 12.0 millimeters for the males and 8.5 to 11.5 millimeters for the females. The head, thorax , legs and abdomen have a dark bluish green shimmer. The antennae are black and have a bluish tinge. They consist of 42 to 45 segments. The comb is very long proximally and short distally . The last eight to nine segments form tiles. The upper side of the forewings shimmers in a dark bluish green, green or golden green, with a variable gloss. The upper side of the hind wings is blackish brown. The undersides of the wings are black-gray.

The male genitalia is very large and heavily sclerotized . The valves have a large ventral process distally. The aedeagus is strong and has a very large, straight, pointed cornutus. The 8th abdominal sternite is square and covers only the last third of the segment.

The females have a large prebursa , which is absent in all similar species.

The egg is egg-shaped and greenish yellow in color.

The caterpillar has a brown basic color. The back and side back lines are black, the side lines dark brown. With the exception of the warts, the body is completely covered with spiny tubercles , which can be seen as small black dots at low magnification. The head is glossy black, the mandibles are dark brown. The prothoracic segment is dark brown, the peritrema , a ring-shaped sclerite that surrounds the respiratory openings, is light brown. The thoracic legs are brown, the abdominal feet yellowish gray. There is a pair of dark brown spots on the 10th abdominal segment.

The doll has a brown sheen and is eight to ten millimeters long.

Similar species

Adscita mannii occurs sympatricly with A. albanica in Switzerland , Italy , Slovenia , Albania , Macedonia , Bulgaria and Greece . It is very variable in size and color. A. albanica can be easily distinguished from A. mannii on the basis of the longer antennae combing of the males. The determination based on external characteristics should always be confirmedby a genital morphological examination .

Adscita obscura occurs sympatricly with A. albanica in Macedonia, southwest Bulgaria and Greece. It flies about a month earlier and has antennae of the mannii-geryon type. Both types can be distinguished genitally morphologically.

In many areas of Southern and Eastern Europe Adscita geryon occurs sympatric with A. albanica . It is usually smaller and has shorter antennae with shorter combs in the males. Both types can be distinguished genitally morphologically.

Subspecies

It is believed that A. albanica is represented by a number of subspecies . There is currently too little evidence for such a separation. Specimens from the Alps and the Apennines are very large and dark in color, while those from the Balkans are smaller and lighter. Specimens from the Caucasus shimmer golden green.

distribution

The disjoint distribution area includes occurrences in south-east France , in Switzerland ( canton Valais ), in Italy , Slovenia , Macedonia , Albania , Bulgaria , Greece , Ukraine , in the south of the European part of Russia and in the Caucasus. Open bush landscapes with grassy clearings or moist clearings in evergreen oak forests are populated .

biology

The females lay the eggs in groups of 10 to 30 so that they do not touch each other. The forage plant is the blood-red cranesbill ( Geranium sanguineum ). In captivity, the caterpillars also feed on other cranesbill species, as well as heron beak species and the first two caterpillar stages also on sunflower ( Helianthemum ) and dock species ( Rumex ). The caterpillars pupate in a white, loosely spun cocoon in the ground under the forage plant. The moths suckle on cranesbill flowers . During the day, they rest on the underside of the flowers or on the stems and leaves of the forage plant. The moths fly from late May ( Crimea ) to mid-June (Albania, Switzerland).

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Albert Naufock: Assembly on 6 November 1925. Negotiations of the Zoological-Botanical Society in Vienna from 74 to 75 (1926): p 120-129 PDF of the first description
  2. ↑ a b c d CM Naumann, WG Tremewan: The Western Palaearctic Zygaenidae . 1st edition. Apollo Books, Stenstrup 1999, ISBN 87-88757-15-3 (English).

literature

  • CM Naumann, WG Tremewan: The Western Palaearctic Zygaenidae . 1st edition. Apollo Books, Stenstrup 1999, ISBN 87-88757-15-3 (English).

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