Little blue sun rose

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Little blue sun rose
Little blue sunflower (Aricia agestis)

Little blue sunflower ( Aricia agestis )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Bluebirds (Lycaenidae)
Subfamily : Polyommatinae
Genre : Aricia
Type : Little blue sun rose
Scientific name
Aricia agestis
( Denis & Schiffermüller , 1775)
Wing undersides

The little sunflower blue ( Aricia agestis ) is a butterfly ( butterflies ) from the family of blue flowers (Lycaenidae).

features

The moths reach a wingspan of 22 to 27 millimeters. They have dark brown wing tops, with clearly orange-colored edge spots visible on both the front and the hind wings. The wing undersides of both pairs of wings are light gray-brown. Black, light-rimmed points and broad, orange-colored spots arranged in a band can be seen on them. A safe differentiation from the twin species Aricia artaxerxes is hardly possible due to the wing pattern, as there are flowing transitions. A genital examination does not provide any certainty either, as the two types hardly differ. Ecological criteria are much safer for species identification. In Switzerland, for example, the two distribution areas are almost completely mutually exclusive.

The caterpillars are about 13 millimeters long. They are colored yellow-green and have pink or reddish longitudinal lines on both the sides and the back. The one on the back can also be completely absent.

Similar species

Occurrence

The animals are widespread in North Africa , South and Central Europe , Turkey , the Middle East and Siberia up to and including the Amur . They live up to an altitude of 1,700 meters. But they are rare in Central Europe. They live in warm, sunny and dry areas, such as B. on dry grass , on sunny forest edges or in sand pits.

Way of life

Flight time

The moths fly annually in two generations from May to June and from July to September, in the north and in colder regions only in one from June to July. Under good conditions, they sometimes fly in three generations between April and October. However, this usually only applies to southern Europe and very warm areas.

Food of the caterpillars

The caterpillars feed primarily on the yellow sun rose ( Helianthemum nummularium ) but also on the small cranesbill ( Geranium pusillum ) and heron's bill ( Erodium cicutarium ).

development

The females lay their eggs individually on the flowers or stems of the forage plants. The young caterpillars feed only on the lower part of the leaves, the larger caterpillars eat them completely. They overwinter as a caterpillar.

Hazard and protection

  • Red list FRG: V (on the pre-warning list).

swell

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d e f Heiko Bellmann : The new Kosmos butterfly guide, butterflies, caterpillars and forage plants . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-440-09330-1 , p. 152 .
  2. Lepidopterists working group: Butterflies and their habitats Volume 1, p. 377, Swiss Confederation for Nature Conservation, Basel 1987, ISBN 978-3855874026
  3. a b Tom Tolman, Richard Lewington: The butterflies of Europe and Northwest Africa . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-440-07573-7 , p. 108 .

Web links

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