Horn clover ram
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Horn clover ram ( Zygaena lonicerae ) |
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| Zygaena lonicerae | ||||||||||||
| ( Scheven , 1777) |
The horny clover ram ( Zygaena lonicerae ), also known as the clover ram , is a butterfly from the ram family (Zygaenidae). It forms a species pair with the marsh horn clover ram ( Zygaena trifolii ).
features
The fore wing length of the females is 16 to 19 millimeters, that of the males 15 to 18 millimeters. The forewings of the males have a black base color with a strong bluish or blue-greenish tinge and are marked with five spots. Spot 3 is smaller than spot 4. The spots on the forewings and the hind wings are colored carmine-red to vermilion . The hind wing edge is clearly black between the apex and just before the anal angle . The head, thorax and abdomen are moderately to severely hairy and black. The antennae are long and slender and weakly club-shaped. They run to a point. The females are similar to the males, with them the tip of the forewings is slightly rounded, the abdomen and thorax are less hairy. The forewings shimmer green. The species is not very variable, with some populations converging spots were found on the forewings. In Western, Central and Eastern Europe the subspecies Z. l. lonicerae , which is characterized by the features mentioned above. The adults of the populations in the Alpine areas are significantly larger, those from southern Europe are usually darker and the hind wing margin is wider. In the subspecies Z. l. kindermanni the forewings shimmer strongly indigo blue or green.
The marsh horn clover ram ( Zygaena trifolii ) is one of the similar species , but it is smaller and has wider forewings with a rounded apex. Spots 3 and 4 often converged. The horny clover ram differs from the six-spot ram ( Zygaena filipendulae ) by its comparatively weakly translucent coloration, larger forewing spots and the narrow edge of the hind wings. Z. lonicerae and Z. filipendulae can also be distinguished genitally morphologically. The spots are smaller and carmine red, the dark edge of the hind wings is very broad and often takes up most of the hind wing, so that only a small red discal spot remains. The degree of melanism varies within and between populations.
The eggs are pale yellow.
The caterpillars reach a length of 19 to 28 millimeters. They are bluish green or pale yellow. The back is light, on segments 1 to 9 there are two black spots on each side of the back. On each segment, the front spot is larger and more rectangular in shape, the rear spot is narrower. From the 2nd to the 9th segment there is a yellow spot under each dorsal spot. The caterpillars have long black hairs that are significantly longer than those of Z. filipendulae and Z trifolii .
The pupa is colored brown to black. The cocoon is spindle-shaped and wider than that of the six-spot ram and the marshhorn ram.
distribution
The distribution area of the horn clover ram stretches from Ireland and Fennoscandinavia to western China . In the south, the species is distributed from northern and central Spain across southern Europe to Turkey and the Caucasus .
In Western Europe, dry to mesophilic areas in coastal areas, open forests and subalpine meadows (up to 2000 meters above sea level) are preferred .
biology
The females lay the eggs in July in single-layer clusters on the underside of the leaves of the forage plants or on plants that grow in close proximity to them. The larvae live on the following plants: Middle clover ( Trifolium medium ), mountain clover ( Trifolium montanum ), meadow clover ( Trifolium pratense ), white clover ( Trifolium repens ), meadow pea ( Lathyrus pratensis ), mountain pea ( Lathyrus linifolius ), common pea ( Lathyrus sativus ), seed sarpets ( Onobrychis viciifolia ), common horn clover ( Lotus corniculatus ), swamp horn clover ( Lotus uliginosus ), wood vetch ( Vicia sylvatica ). They feed until late summer, overwinter, and continue to develop in the following year. The caterpillars are fully grown at the end of May. Not yet adult caterpillars overwinter a second time. They pupate in an elongated yellowish or white cocoon on grass and other plants. The moths fly in late June to early August. They prefer to suckle on blue-violet flowers such as field scabious ( Knautia arvensis ), pigeon scabies ( Scabiosa columbaria ), meadow knapweed ( Centaurea jacea ), panicle knapweed ( Centaurea stoebe ), field thistle ( Cirsium arvense ), bulbous Scraper thistle ( Cirsium tuberosum ) and ring thistle ( Carduus ). A generation develops every year. Caterpillars and pupae are occasionally parasitized by caterpillar flies ( Phryxe magnicornis ) and brackish wasp species.
Hazard and protection
The horn clover ram is listed in the Red List of Germany as a kind of early warning list ("Level V").
Systematics
The following subspecies are currently known:
- Zygaena lonicerae insularis Tremewan , 1960.
- Zygaena lonicerae intermixta Verity , 1925.
- Zygaena lonicerae jocelynae Tremewan , 1962.
- Zygaena lonicerae latomarginata ( Tutt , 1899)
- Zygaena lonicerae leonensis Tremewan , 1961.
- Zygaena lonicerae linnei Reiss , 1922.
- Zygaena lonicerae lonicerae ( Scheven , 1777)
- Zygaena lonicerae microdoxa Dujardin , 1965.
- Zygaena lonicerae silana Burgeff , 1914.
- Zygaena lonicerae thurneri Holik , 1943.
- Zygaena lonicerae vivax Verity , 1920.
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d C. M. Naumann, WG Tremewan: The Western Palaearctic Zygaenidae . 1st edition. Apollo Books, Stenstrup 1999, ISBN 87-88757-15-3 , pp. 261 (English).
- ^ A b David J. Carter, Brian Hargreaves: Caterpillars and butterflies of Europe and their forage plants . 1st edition. Paul Parey, Hamburg and Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-490-13918-6 , pp. 26 (Original title: A field guide to caterpillars of butterflies and moths in Britain and Europe . Translated by Alexander Pelzer).
- ↑ a b Hans-Josef Weidemann, Jochen Köhler: Moths, Spinners and Swarmers . Naturbuch-Verlag, Augsburg 1996, ISBN 3-89440-128-1 , p. 469 .
- ^ Günter Ebert: The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg . 1st edition. tape 3 . Moths I. Root borer (Hepialidae), wood borer (Cossidae), ram (Zygaenidae), snail moth (Limacodidae), sack bearer (Psychidae), window stain (Thyrididae) . Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1994, ISBN 3-8001-3472-1 , p. 321 .
- ↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany . Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 1998, ISBN 3-89624-110-9 , p. 102 .
- ↑ biolib.cz
Web links
- Lepiforum e. V. Taxonomy and Photos