Against pumilio

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Against pumilio
Gegenes pumilio.jpg

Against pumilio

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Thick-headed butterfly (Hesperiidae)
Subfamily : Hesperiinae
Genre : Against
Type : Against pumilio
Scientific name
Against pumilio
( Hoffmannsegg , 1804)

Gegenes pumilio is a butterfly from the family of the thick-headed butterflies (Hesperiidae).

features

The fore wing length is 14 millimeters. The outer edge of the forewings is slightly convex. The top is dark brown. The underside is gray-brown with hints of light postal discal spots on all wings. The female is a little lighter on the upper side with small, lighter post-discal spots on the forewings (also present on the underside). The underside is light gray-brown.

Geographical occurrence and habitat

Gegenes pumilio is distributed from the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea through the Middle East to the Himalayas and to the south through all of Africa . The moth can be found on dry, hot, coastal slopes, rocky areas and extensively used olive groves. It is also rarely found in the hinterland of the coastal regions up to 1200 meters above sea level on sun-exposed, hot slopes.

Way of life

The moths fly in the Mediterranean area from April to October in several generations (usually three generations). The males are territorial. In South Africa there is an uninterrupted generation succession in warmer regions, with a maximum from October to March. In cooler areas, the moths only fly from October to March. The caterpillar lives on different types of grass , for South Africa Pennisetum clandestinum , Ehrharta spp. and dog tooth grasses ( Cynodon ) spp. specified.

Systematics

The species was first described in 1804 by Johann Centurius von Hoffmannsegg as Hesperia nostradamus pumilio from near Naples. There are at least three synonyms :

  • Gegenes pygmaeus Cyrillo , 1787 (the oldest name for the species, which, however , was preoccupied as a younger homonym of another species and is therefore not a valid name )
  • Gegenes aetna Boisduval , 1840
  • Gegenes lefebvrei Rambur , 1840

There are currently two to three subspecies :

  • Gegenes pumilio pumilio (Hoffmannsegg, 1804)
  • Gegenes pumilio gambica (Mabille, 1878), Africa, Arabian Peninsula to Lebanon , Turkey to Northern India

Gegenes monochroa (Rebel, 1907) is also listed as a subspecies of Gegenes pumilio by some websites . However, most authors consider the taxon to be a separate species.

According to recent work by Torben Bjørn Larsen, the ssp. gambica by their chromosome number from the nominate subspecies (n = 41 in pumilio gambica and n = 24 in pumilio pumilio ). He concludes from this that gambica is to be accepted as an independent species.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Lionel G. Higgins, Norman D. Riley: The butterflies of Europe and Northwest Africa . 1st edition. Paul Parey, Hamburg / Berlin 1978, ISBN 3-490-01918-0 .
  2. ↑ a b Homepage of Wolfgang Wagner
  3. ↑ a b Steve Woodhall: Field guide to butterflies of South Africa. 437 pp., 2005 ISBN 1-86872-724-6 and ISBN 1-77007-186-5 on Google Books
  4. ↑ Gegenes pumilio (Hoffmannsegg 1804). Fauna Europaea, Version 2.1, December 22, 2009, accessed December 23, 2009 .
  5. ↑ Torben B. Larsen: Gegenes pumilio Hoffmannsegg, 1804; a review with cytological evidence that two species are involved (Hesperiidae). Nota lepidopterologica, 5 (2-3): 103-110 Karlsruhe 1982 ISSN  0342-7536

literature

  • Lionel G. Higgins, Norman D. Riley: The butterflies of Europe and Northwest Africa . 1st edition. Paul Parey, Hamburg / Berlin 1978, ISBN 3-490-01918-0 .

Web links