Micropterix allionella
| Micropterix allionella | ||||||||||
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Micropterix allionella |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Micropterix allionella | ||||||||||
| ( Fabricius , 1794) |
Micropterix allionella is a butterfly from the family of micropterigidae (Micropterigidae). The butterfly also bears the name Bergwiesen-Urfalter .
features
The wingspan is 7.8–10.1 mm, the forewing length is 3.6 to 4.5 mm for the males and 4.7 to 4.8 mm for the females. The head is black-brown with dirty white to rusty yellow scales. The antennae in the male reach more than three quarters, in the female about two thirds of the forewing length. They are brown with a golden shimmer in the females, two-colored in the males, with a golden base (up to about a third of the length) and tip part similar to the females. The trunk is scaled golden, the tegulae are coppery, bronze-colored to purple. The forewings are predominantly brown with a golden shimmer and sometimes conspicuously purple-violet. They have three wide, gold-colored cross bands. In addition, there is a gold-colored costal stain on the leading edge of the wing between the outer and middle transverse band, the wing tip (apex) and mostly also its rear edge are a little darker bronze-gold. The hind wings are bronze-gold colored, partly greenish and purple, with a light-gold scales edge. The antennae and legs are dark in color.
Similar species
- Micropterix rothenbachii - has wider gold-colored transverse bands. In addition, it is usually more distinctly purple in color and the inner edge does not have a bronze-gold edge.
- Mircopterix trifasciella - similar in particular are individuals in which the golden costal spot is exceptionally missing, or M. trifasciella , in which it can occur exceptionally.
In the male sex, the species can be differentiated based on the genital morphology. Different colored females cannot always be determined with certainty down to the species.
distribution
The distribution area of the species extends over Central Europe, Northern Italy and the Balkan Peninsula . Evidence is available from France, Northern Italy, Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovenia. Evidence from southern Europe and Turkey may be based on confusion with Micropterix rothenbachii .
Way of life
The diurnal butterflies can be found in the mountains. There they are mostly observed in forest clearings in the herb layer , where they suck on pollen. The flight time of the butterflies lasts from April to July. The caterpillars, their way of life and the food plants are unknown.
Taxonomy
The species was first described as Tinea allionella Fabricius , 1794. It was sometimes confused in the older literature with Micropteryx rothenbachii (auct., Nec Frey, 1856). Another synonym is Tinea tricinctella Costa , 1836.
The genus Micropterix comprises around 70 to 80 species in temperate to subtropical Eurasia and North Africa, making it by far the most species-rich in the family. 49 species have been identified in Europe, with a number of still undescribed species known.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Determination aid: Micropterix allionella (FABRICIUS, 1794) - Bergwiesen-Urfalter . Lepiforum eV. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
- ↑ a b c d e f H. Christof Zeller-Lukashort, Marion F. Kurz, David C. Lees, Michael A. Kurz (2007): A review of Micropterix Hübner, 1825 from northern and central Europe (Micropterigidae). Nota lepidopterologica 30 (2): 235-298.
- ↑ Micropterix allionella in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved July 17, 2019
