Steppe frost wrench
| Steppe frost wrench | ||||||||||||
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Chondrosoma fiduciaria , male |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Chondrosoma fiduciaria | ||||||||||||
| ( Anker , 1854) |
The steppe frost spanner ( Chondrosoma fiduciaria ) is a butterfly ( moth ) from the spanner family (Geometridae).
features
butterfly
There is a strong sexual dimorphism between the two sexes .
The male moths reach a wingspan of 18 to 24 millimeters. The forewings are grayish-brown in color and show whitish, mostly irregular drawing elements in the basal field and in the area of the post-disk region . A light yellow longitudinal line can sometimes be seen on the front edge. The basal region of the otherwise grayish-brown shimmering hind wings is slightly lightened. The antennae are combed, the shaft is also lightened. The head, thorax and abdomen are densely hairy.
The flightless females are wingless, have a plump body shape and are brown in color with thick hair.
Egg, caterpillar
The egg is gray-green in color, brownish at the pole. The micropyl trough is surrounded by a white ring.
Adult caterpillars have a greenish basic color and show light side stripes.
Similar species
There is a certain similarity to the dry grass tufts ( Lycia zonaria ), which however has more distinctive drawing elements. The wings of the male fiduciaria butterfly are also significantly shorter. In addition, the different flight times should avoid confusion.
Geographical distribution and occurrence
Chondrosoma fiduciaria occurs very locally in eastern Austria as well as in Hungary and Slovakia . There are also sites in the Tarbagatai area and in Siberia . The species can be found on meadows with alternating moisture and in the xerothermal hill country.
Way of life
The main flight time of the diurnal male moths are the months of October and November. As a rule, they fly unsteadily in the morning in the sunshine in search of the females. These sit quietly in the vegetation. After mating, they lay the eggs in quantities of 100 to 200 in a belt-like manner on stems, as can also be observed, for example, in the ringed moth ( Malacosoma neustria ). The caterpillars live on low plants, especially on spurge ( Euphorbia ) and knapweed species ( Centaurea ). In breeding, older caterpillars also accept leaves of the yarrow species Achillea asplenifolia as a forage plant. Pupation takes place in the earth. The egg is hibernating.
literature
- Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 5: Spanner. (Geometridae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-440-04951-5 .
Web links
- Lepiforum eV taxonomy and photos
- Chondrosoma fiduciaria in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved April 14, 2011
Individual evidence
- ↑ Walter Forster, Theodor A. Wohlfahrt: The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 5: Spanner. (Geometridae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-440-04951-5 .
- ↑ a b Friedrich Kasy: On the knowledge of the butterfly fauna of the eastern Neusiedlersee area In: Burgenländisches Landesmuseum in Eisenstadt (ed.): Scientific works from Burgenland . Issue 34, Eisenstadt 1965, PDF on ZOBODAT