Olive green bumblebee hawk
| Olive green bumblebee hawk | ||||||||||||
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Olive-green bumble bee ( Hemaris croatica ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Hemaris croatica | ||||||||||||
| ( Esper , 1800) |
The Olive Hummel enthusiasts ( Hemaris croatica ) is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of moth (Sphingidae).
features
Characteristics of the adults
The moths reach wingspans of 36 to 64 millimeters ( H. croatica croatica ) and 65 to 71 millimeters ( H. croatica fahira ). The forewings are olive-green, the outer edge is broadly lined with wine-red to scarlet red, whereby the red is somewhat darker at the relatively sharply delineated transition. With some butterflies, the wings are colored gray instead of olive green. The hind wings are brightly colored sealing lacquer red and have a fine light border. The head and thorax have olive-green hairs, the front part of the abdomen is also olive-green, followed by a fine yellowish ring, two scarlet-purple segments, two light yellow-brown or olive-green segments with whitish tufts on the sides and a black to dark purple, in in the middle brownish tufts of hair at the end of the abdomen. In contrast to the other species of the genus, the wings of the animals do not lose wing scales and are therefore not partially transparent.
The subspecies H. croatica fahira has slightly different shades of color. Their wings are wider and more rounded, and the body is longer.
There are two color variations of the olive green bumble bee. The one, f. obscurata , has dark colored wings and the red segment rings on the abdomen are also very dark. The other, f. rangowi , differs through a significantly narrower brown border on the forewings , pale hind wings without a border, sulfur yellow instead of light yellow brown colored abdomen segments and a completely black colored tuft of hair on the abdomen end.
Characteristics of the caterpillars
The caterpillars are 45 to 50 millimeters long and are variably colored. They are usually green in color and dense, fine, spotted white. But there are many different color variants that vary from light yellow to blue-green to pale red. The back is colored darker than the sides. between these two areas there is a light yellowish longitudinal line on each side from the head to the base of the anal horn . This is orange through yellowish red to blue, with young caterpillars it is dark.
Similar species
- Bumblebee Hawk ( Hemaris fuciformis ) (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Scabiosa swarmers ( Hemaris tityus ) (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Pigeon tail ( Macroglossum stellatarum ) (Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies
The species is divided into two subspecies, H. croatica croatica and H. croatica fahira , of which the latter was only described as a subspecies in 2004.
Synonyms
- Sphinx croatica Esper, 1800, Die Schmett. (Suppl.) (Section 2): 33, pl. 45, fig. 2
- Sphinx sesia Huebner, 1805
Occurrence
The distribution area of the species extends over the Balkan Peninsula , Asia Minor and the Caucasus far into Iran . The animals can be found along the eastern Mediterranean coast as far as northern Israel . Other local occurrences are known on the Crimean Peninsula, eastern Ukraine and western Kazakhstan . It can happen that isolated specimens are drifted to Central Europe by wind .
They live in open, hot and dry meadows, with loose vegetation on bushes and trees. You can find them especially along hills and mountain ranges up to an altitude of 2,300 meters.
Way of life
The moths are diurnal, which is unusual for swarmers.
Flight and caterpillar times
The moths fly in one generation in the northern and higher areas in July, in the hotter regions they fly in two from May to June and in August. The caterpillars are found from July to September or from June to July and from August to September.
Food of the caterpillars
Often in the literature there is an indication of the forage plant that the caterpillars feed mainly on scabiosa ( Scabiosa ). At least the species found in Croatia feed (almost) exclusively on scaly heads ( Cephalaria ), which the caterpillars are supposed to consume only "sporadically" according to the literature, just as they are supposed to be found occasionally on Meier ( Asperula ). However, it has been shown that the hairs of the scabiosa keep the caterpillars at such a distance that they cannot reach the leaf substance.
development
The eggs are approximately one millimeter in diameter and are pale green in color. The females lay them individually on the underside of the leaves of the forage plants. More than one egg is rarely laid per plant. The hatching caterpillars are about three millimeters long and initially pale yellow with a dark anal horn. They feed and rest on the underside of the leaves, sitting on the midrib. They fall to the ground in case of danger. Pupation takes place in a very loose, brown web on the ground between parts of the plant. The animals overwinter as a pupa . This is 24 to 27 millimeters long and colored red-brown. You can see the unrolled proboscis on the top.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b A. R. Pittaway: The Hawkmoths of the western Palaearctic. Harley Books 1993, ISBN 0-946589-21-6
- ↑ a b Hemaris croatica (Esper 1800). Fauna Europaea, Version 1.3, April 19, 2007 , accessed on January 3, 2008 .
- ^ AR Pittaway: Hemaris croatica (Esper, 1800). Retrieved January 3, 2008 .
Web links
- www.lepiforum.de Taxonomy and photos
- Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa (English)