Matt-pecked brown thick-headed butterfly
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Matt-spotted brown thick-headed butterfly ( Thymelicus acteon ) |
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| Thymelicus acteon | ||||||||||||
| ( Rottemburg , 1775) |
The matte brown thick-headed butterfly ( Thymelicus acteon ) is a butterfly from the family of the thick-headed butterfly (Hesperiidae).
features
The moths reach a wingspan of 24 to 28 millimeters, with the females being slightly larger than the males. Their wing tops are colored orange-brown, the outer edge is dark and has a light border. One can see a curved row of small, light yellowish spots in the post-disk region , which are indistinct in the males and strongly developed in the females. The males have black, line-shaped scented flakes.
The caterpillars reach a length of up to 24 millimeters. The caterpillar body tapers at both ends and is green in color. On the back there is a dark green, pale bordered line, which is flanked by a pale greenish yellow line. The stigma line is also greenish yellow; under this there is a yellowish white band. The caterpillar head is large and greenish brown.
Similar species
- Black-spotted brown thick-headed butterfly ( Thymelicus lineola )
- Brown-eared brown thick-headed butterfly ( Thymelicus sylvestris )
- Thymelicus hyrax
- Thymelicus hamza
distribution
The species is distributed in the entire Mediterranean area , except on a few islands such as Corsica and Sardinia and in North Africa , east across Asia Minor to Iraq . In the north it reaches southern England (only in the vicinity of Lulworth , hence the English name "Lulworth Skipper") and northern Germany. They fly up to an altitude of around 1,600 meters, in North Africa also up to 1,800 meters. Although they are widespread throughout Central Europe, the animals mostly only occur locally, but then often in large numbers. They live in hot and dry, flowered and grassy places, especially between bushes. In the south of England they live in grassy karst areas .
Way of life
Like all thick-headed butterflies, the animals are avid flower visitors and predominantly on purple flowers, such as. B. to find knapweed , cuticle and scabiosa . They fly very quickly at only a low altitude. They live around two to three weeks.
Flight and caterpillar times
The moths fly in one generation from July to August, the caterpillars are found from September to June of the following year.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars feed on broad-leaved grasses, such as. B. from
- Feather-Zwenke ( Brachypodium pinnatum )
- Forest Zwenke ( Brachypodium sylvaticum )
- Common couch grass ( Elymus repens )
- Creeping couch grass ( Elymus repens )
- Land riding grass ( Calamagrostis epigejos ).
development
The females usually lay their eggs in rows of around five to six, a maximum of 15, in the leaf sheaths on the underside of the leaf of the forage plants. These are preferably grown tall. The caterpillars hatch in September and immediately afterwards spin into a cocoon in which they overwinter. They do not begin to develop until the following spring, around April. They are nocturnal and live between the woven edges of a blade of grass. Pupation takes place in a green belt doll in a loose web in the grass.
Food of the moths
The moths were observed on the following plants while searching for nectar:
- Pigeon Scabiosis ( Scabiosa columbaria )
- Field Scabious ( Knautia arvensis )
- Forest scabious ( Knautia dipsacifolia )
- Heil-Ziest ( Stachys officinalis )
- Meadow knapweed ( Centaurea jacea )
- Stemless thistle ( Cirsium acaule)
- Nodding thistle ( Carduus nutans )
- Oregano ( Origanum vulgare )
- Little Bibernelle ( Pimpinella saxifraga )
- Common horn clover ( Lotus corniculatus )
Hazard and protection
The populations of the mottled brown thick-headed butterfly are u. a. threatened by land consolidation , herbicide use and mulching . The careful handling of the nectar habitats is of particular importance. Thymelicus acteon is classified in the Red List of Endangered Species of the Federal Republic as endangered (level 3).
swell
Individual evidence
- ^ A b David J. Carter, Brian Hargreaves: Caterpillars and butterflies of Europe and their forage plants. Blackwell Wissenschaftsverlag 1987, ISBN 3-826-38139-4
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Günter Ebert (Hrsg.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg Volume 2, Tagfalter II (Augenfalter (Satyridae), Bläulinge (Lycaenidae), Dickkopffalter (Hesperiidae)), Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 3-8001-3459-4
- ↑ a b c d e Tom Tolman, Richard Lewington: Die Tagfalter Europäische und Nordwestafrikas , p. 269f, Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-440-07573-7
- ↑ a b Hans-Josef Weidemann: Tagfalter: watch, determine , p. 616f, Naturbuch-Verlag Augsburg 1995, ISBN 3-894-40115-X
- ↑ Manfred Koch : We identify butterflies. Volume 1: Butterfly. 4th enlarged edition. Neumann, Radebeul / Berlin 1966, DNB 457244224 , pp. 120f.
- ↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany. Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 1998, ISBN 978-3-896-24110-8
Web links
- Lepiforum e. V. - Taxonomy and photos
- www.schmetterling-raupe.de
- Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa (English)
- Thymelicus acteon in Fauna Europaea