Antanartia borbonica
| Antanartia borbonica | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Antanartia borbonica |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Antanartia borbonica | ||||||||||||
| ( Oberthür , 1879) |
Antanartia borbonica is on the Mascarene found Butterfly ( butterfly ) from the family of Nymphalidae (Nymphalidae).
features
butterfly
The wingspan of the moth is about 55 millimeters. There is no sexual dimorphism between the sexes . They have black-brown fore wing tops. A broad orange-red band runs through the disk region . A few small white spots stand out in the apex area . The also black-brown hind wings are bordered by an orange band and lengthened with two tails, one longer orange-red and one shorter black. The drawing on the upper sides shows through to the undersides of the wings.
Caterpillar
Adult caterpillars have a black base color. The entire surface of the body is covered with branched white or yellow thorns, which are sometimes reddish-brown in color at the base.
Similar species
The similarly drawn species Admiral ( Vanessa atalanta ) and Canarian Admiral ( Vanessa vulcania ) are missing the tails on the hind wings and neither are found on the mascarens. Antanartia schaeneia also has tails, but is only found on the African mainland.
Distribution, subspecies and habitat
The nominate form Antanartia borbonica borbonica is endemic to Réunion . The subspecies Antanartia borbonica mauritiana was only found in Mauritius . However, since there is no current evidence of it, it can be assumed that it has recently become extinct. Information about an occurrence in Madagascar is wrong. On Réunion, the species primarily inhabits clearings in high-altitude forests between 500 and 1000 meters, in particular along ravines, where their host plants grow.
Way of life
The moths fly from September to March, mainly in February and March. They like to suckle on overripe fruit to absorb fluids and minerals. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of Obetia ficifolia , Pouzolzia laevigata , Pilea urticifolia , Boehmeria penduliflora or Boehmeria macrophylla . During the feeding breaks, the caterpillar hides in a folded leaf spun with silk.
Danger
Antanartia borbonica borbonica is very rare in Réunion and is protected by a ministerial decree published in the Official Journal of 1993. The species is classified as "threatened" on the Réunion Red List .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Information on the species (French)
- ↑ caterpillar in the lepiforum
- ↑ Markku Savela: Antanartia Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 - Distribution. In: Lepidoptera and some other life forms. Retrieved May 6, 2019 .
- ↑ a b c Mark C. Williams: Afrotropical Butterflies, Genus Antanartia , 17th edition, 2018, ( https://www.metamorphosis.org.za/articlesPDF/1137/170%20Genus%20Antanartia%20Rothschild%20&%20Jordan. pdf )
- ↑ Red List of Réunion ( http://pole-zhi.org/sites/default/files/documents/Liste_rouge_faune_de_La_Reunion.pdf )
Web links
- insecta.pro - taxonomy
- inaturalist.org - iNaturalist