Hemspot mother-of-pearl butterfly
| Hemspot mother-of-pearl butterfly | ||||||||||||
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Hemspot mother-of-pearl butterfly underside |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Brenthis hecate | ||||||||||||
| ( Denis & Schiffermüller , 1775) |
The mother-of-pearl butterfly ( Brenthis hecate ) is a butterfly (day butterfly ) from the noble butterfly family (Nymphalidae).
features
butterfly
Both females and males of the pearly moth have a wingspan of about 36–44 mm. The upper side of the butterflies has a basic orange color and black spots, which are typical for most mother-of-pearl butterflies. This consists of the unfilled cell spots, some disk spots, a series of post-disk spots followed by another row of smaller submarginal spots. In contrast to similar species, such as the blackberry mother-of-pearl butterfly ( Brenthis daphne ) and the meadowsweet mother-of-pearl butterfly ( Brenthis ino ), the post- disc and submarginal spots are arranged in more or less parallel rows and of relatively uniform size. The wing edge has a black marginal border, which forms triangular runners on the veins towards the base. The wing veins are usually highlighted in black, but can also be thin and barely visible on the upper side of the wing. In the females, the orange color is often paler, these are usually also slightly larger than the males. The topside of the mother-of-pearl butterfly closely resembles the species of the genera Brenthis and Boloria and are often difficult to distinguish. The underside of the wing is much more suitable for differentiation. In the mother-of-pearl butterfly, the underside of the forewing essentially mirrors the upper side. The underside of the hind wing has a cream-colored base color. In the basal and disc area, the hind wing is traversed by orange bands that are outlined in black. Together with the black veins, an irregular pattern of orange and cream-colored cells forms. The most important feature are the black disc and post-disc spots, which form two parallel rows of spots. These distinguish the species from the blackberry mother-of-pearl butterfly and the meadowsweet mother-of-pearl butterfly, which the underside is very similar. No other type of mother-of-pearl butterfly has a double row of spots on the underside, but only a simple one, like the distantly similar fringed mother-of-pearl butterfly ( Boloria eunomia ) or the brown-spotted mother-of-pearl butterfly ( Boloria selene ). This feature also gave the species its German name.
Dorsal view
Ventral view
Caterpillar
The caterpillar of the mother-of-pearl butterfly resembles the closely related species blackberry mother-of-pearl butterfly and meadowsweet mother-of-pearl butterfly. It also has orange thorns on each segment and a black and white marbled base color. In contrast to the other two species, the caterpillar does not have a light, double longitudinal stripe dorsally . The marbling also looks less drawn in the longitudinal direction and is more similar to the color pattern of some pied pelvis, such as the quail wheat piebald ( Melitaea athalia ). In contrast to these, however, the caterpillar of the mother-of-pearl butterfly has a cream-colored side stripe below the stigma .
Similar species
- Blackberry mother-of-pearl butterfly ( Brenthis daphne )
- Meadowsweet mother-of-pearl butterfly ( Brenthis ino )
Subspecies
- Brenthis hecate hecate ( Denis & Schiffermüller , 1775) Type locality: Vienna, Austria
- Brenthis hecate transcaucasica Wnukowsky , 1929 Type locality: Caucasus
Occurrence and habitat
The mother-of-pearl butterfly is represented in southern Europe with dispersed populations in Spain , southern France and northern Italy . Further to the east, the distribution area is more extensive and extends from its western edge in eastern Austria , Slovenia and the Czech Republic over a large part of south-eastern Europe, European Turkey and the Ukraine to southern Siberia . The Altai forms the western border of the distribution area . There is an isolated population in Lithuania . The subspecies Brenthis hecate transcaucasica colonizes the areas south of the Caucasus , the Front Iran and large parts of Eastern Turkey. The species occurs at altitudes from sea level upwards; in the Pyrenees and Alps up to 1500 m, in Greece up to 2300 m. In the Caucasus the species occurs at altitudes up to 2700 m.
Moist but poor meadows interspersed with bushes serve as habitat. Forest edges and clearings are also popular with residents.
Way of life
The flight time of the univoltine species begins in most parts of the distribution area at the end of May, in the cooler mountain areas at the beginning of June and in some areas ends in mid-July only at the beginning of August. In climatically favorable years and areas, such as the Balkan Peninsula, the flight time often begins at the end of April and only lasts until the beginning of May.
Meadowsweet ( Filipendula vulgaris ), but also true meadowsweet ( Filipendula ulmaria ), cheek-clover species ( Dorycnium spec. ) And the curb sparrow ( Spiraea crenata ) serve as food plants for the caterpillars . Little is known about the way of life, presumably the caterpillar overwinters fully developed in the egg, which is placed on parts of the food plant or dry material in their vicinity. The tumbler is freely attached to plant stems.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Vadim Tshikolovets: Butterflies of Europe and the Mediterranean area . 2011, ISBN 978-80-904900-0-0 .
- ↑ a b c d Brenthis hecate. Lepiforum, accessed February 10, 2019 .
- ^ A b Tom Tolman, Richard Lewington: Collins Butterfly Guide - The Most Complete Field Guide to the Butterflies of Britain and Europe . Harper Collins, 2008, ISBN 978-0-00-727977-7 , pp. 190 .
- ↑ Wolfgang Wagner: Brenthis hecate. In: pyrgus.de. Retrieved February 10, 2019 .
Web links
- Brenthis hecate at Fauna Europaea
- Brenthis hecate in the Lepiforum
- Brenthis hecate in the Catalog of Life