Alpine tensioner

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alpine tensioner
Alpine spanner (Lycia alpina)

Alpine spanner ( Lycia alpina )

Systematics
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Spanner (Geometridae)
Subfamily : Ennominae
Tribe : Bistonini
Genre : Lycia
Type : Alpine tensioner
Scientific name
Lycia alpina
( Sulzer , 1776)
Preparation of a male
front view
Alpine manner caterpillar

The Lycia alpina ( Lycia alpina ) is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the tensioner (Geometridae).

features

butterfly

There is a strong sexual dimorphism between the two sexes . The male moths reach a wingspan of 28 to 40 millimeters. The forewings are whitish in color and show brownish transverse lines and transverse bands, which continue in a weakened form on the hind wings. The antennae are combed. The head and neck are covered with thick, pure white hair. The flightless females have very narrow wing stubs up to six millimeters long, a plump body shape and a blackish color with white hair. The laying scabbard is brown.

egg

The flat and oval shaped egg is colored blue-green.

Caterpillar

Adult caterpillars are greenish or yellowish in color, dotted with black dots and show a light yellow, wavy side line.

Doll

The doll is black-brown in color and has a forked tip on the stem-shaped cremaster .

Similar species

The males of the dry grass tussock ( Lycia zonaria ) are drawn with more contrast, whereas they are drawn with less contrast in Lycia florentina and Lycia graecarius . All of the aforementioned species lack white hair on the head and neck.

Geographical distribution and occurrence

The alpine spanner is widespread in the high altitudes of the Alps between 1000 and 2500 meters and in the Swiss Jura . The species can be found on mountain meadows.

Way of life

The moths form one generation a year and live between April and July, depending on the altitude. The males visit artificial light sources , the females are usually found resting on stems in the vegetation. The caterpillars live polyphagous on various low plants and develop into pupae in the same year. The pupa hibernates, sometimes several times.

Danger

In Germany, the alpine spanner occurs only in the Bavarian Alps and is included on the red list of endangered species as a type of warning list.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Josef Wolfsberger: New and interesting macrolepidoptera finds from southern Bavaria and the adjacent Northern Limestone Alps. In: Bavarian Entomologists' newsletter. 23. Vol. 3, 1974.
  2. ^ A b Walter Forster, Theodor A. Wohlfahrt: The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 5: Spanner. (Geometridae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-440-04951-5 .
  3. ^ Karl Burmann: Nyssia alpina Sulz. (Lepid., Geometridae). Some life-science observations from North Tyrol. In: Journal of the Vienna Entomological Society. Volume 41, 1956 ( Online ; PDF; 850 kB)
  4. ↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany . Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 1998, ISBN 3-89624-110-9 .

literature

Web links

Commons : Alpenspanner  - album with pictures, videos and audio files