Matterhorn bear
| Matterhorn bear | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Chelis cervini | ||||||||||||
| ( Fallou , 1864) |
The Matterhorn bear ( Chelis cervini , syn .: Holoarctia cervini ), also Matterhorn bear moth , is a butterfly ( moth ) from the subfamily of the bear moth (Arctiinae).
description
The moths reach a wingspan of around 30 millimeters. Depending on the region, they have very different colors and patterns on the wings. The forewings are light yellow or ocher to orange-yellow and have black or dark gray spots. There are animals in which this drawing is completely absent, only partially present, or is so pronounced that the yellow basic color is only recognizable as a network structure.
The eggs are circular and light yellow.
The caterpillars are about 25 millimeters long. They are black and have a lemon-yellow vertical stripe on their back. Her hair is long and very dense. They are black, only gray on the sides.
Occurrence
The animals belong to the endemic butterfly species in the central Alps . They occur only in very few places in Austria , Switzerland and France between 2600 and 3200 m . They inhabit stony habitats with little vegetation, preferring those that are covered with slate .
This species was discovered in 1863 on the Gornergrat at the foot of the Matterhorn . It was only discovered 50 years later outside of the Valais Alps . It probably survived the Ice Age in ice-free regions of the Alps that protruded over the glaciers ( nunataks ). Even when the ice has retreated, only the glacial refuges of yore are still inhabited. This isolated way of life can also explain the strong color diversity of the species. Each of the dispersed populations develop independently of the others.
Way of life
The males are diurnal and fly in search of the females who sit under 20 centimeter stone slabs.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars feed on the leaves of various lower alpine plants such as B. Alpine lady's mantle ( Alchemilla alpina ), beach plantain ( Plantago alpina ). Under breeding conditions they also eat the common dandelion ( Taraxacum sect. Ruderalia ).
Development path
Since the vegetation period only lasts three to four months in the high alpine areas of life , the species needs two to three years for its development. The females lay their eggs in loose groups on the underside of stone slabs. The caterpillars are very insensitive to temperature. Not only do they have to withstand night frosts that occur in summer, but also high soil temperatures of over 30 ° C, due to the solar radiation that warms the stones under which they live. However, the stones also help to release the heat overnight. They pupate in a loose web under stones.
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Individual evidence
- ↑ K. Rönka, J. Mappes, L. Kaila, N. Wahlberg: Putting Parasemia in its phylogenetic place: a molecular analysis of the subtribe Arctiina (Lepidoptera) . In: Systematic Entomology . tape 41 , 2016, p. 844-853 , doi : 10.1111 / syen.12194 .
literature
- Heiko Bellmann : The new Kosmos butterfly guide. Butterflies, caterpillars and forage plants. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-440-09330-1 .
- Pro Natura - Swiss Confederation for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Butterflies and their habitats , Volume 3, Fotorotar AG, 2000, ISBN 3-855-87032-2 .