Southern blue-tailed short-tailed

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Southern blue-tailed short-tailed
Southern blue-tailed blue (Cupido alcetas), undersides of the wings

Southern blue-tailed blue ( Cupido alcetas ), undersides of the wings

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Bluebirds (Lycaenidae)
Subfamily : Polyommatinae
Genre : Cupid
Type : Southern blue-tailed short-tailed
Scientific name
Cupid Alcetas
( Hoffmannsegg , 1804)

The southern short-tailed blue ( Cupido alcetas ) is a butterfly ( butterfly ) from the family of blue (Lycaenidae). Within the genus Cupido , it belongs to the subgenus Everes , which can be recognized by the rear wings with a small tail.

description

butterfly

The wingspan of the moth is 18 to 24 millimeters. They show a clear sexual dimorphism . The upper sides of the wings of the males are colored blue. The edge of the wing is black, the fringes white. The upper side of the wings of the females is brown. Discoidal spots are missing. The undersides of the fore and hind wings are greyish-white in both sexes, from which many small black spots stand out. The basal region shimmers light blue. There are very thin, very short tails close to the anal angle . A single orange-colored anal spot can sometimes be seen at the base, but it is often completely absent.

Egg, caterpillar, pupa

The egg is colored yellow-white and has a fine mesh structure with many small bumps. Adult caterpillars are slice-shaped and green in color. They show a dark back line and are covered with short, thin, light hair. The doll has a yellowish basic color, a back line formed from black dots and black-brown spots on the sides and is provided with short bristles.

Similar species

  • The eastern short-tailed blue ( Cupido decolorata ) differs by a black discoid spot on the upper side of the forewing. However, a genital morphological examination is advisable for a reliable determination .
  • The short-tailed blues ( Cupido argiades ) differs in that there are always two orange spots at the anal angle on the underside of the wing.

distribution and habitat

The southern short-tailed blue streak occurs in south-east Austria and sparsely in southern Europe, Turkey , south Siberia, as well as in the Urals and Altai . The species prefers to live in open areas, in sparse deciduous forests and on the banks of rivers and streams.

Way of life

The moths usually form three generations per year, which can be found from late May to June, July to August and September. The caterpillars' food plants include goat's rue ( Galega officinalis ), red vetch ( Coronilla varia ), vetch ( Vicia sativa ) and hop clover ( Medicago lupulina ). The moths live in symbiosis with ants . The adult caterpillars overwinter.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ dissemination
  2. ↑ a b c d Tom Tolman, Richard Lewington: The butterflies of Europe and Northwest Africa . Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-440-07573-7
  3. ^ A b Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 2: Butterflies. (Rhopalocera and Hesperiidae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1955, DNB 456642188 .

literature

  • Tom Tolman, Richard Lewington: The butterflies of Europe and Northwest Africa . Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-440-07573-7

Web links

Commons : Cupido alcetas  - Collection of images, videos and audio files