Marsh horn clover ram

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Marsh horn clover ram
Marsh horn clover ram (Zygaena trifolii) on common betonia (Betonica officinalis)

Marsh horn clover ram ( Zygaena trifolii ) on common betonia ( Betonica officinalis )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Ram (Zygaenidae)
Subfamily : Red Ram (Zygaeninae)
Genre : Zygaena
Type : Marsh horn clover ram
Scientific name
Zygaena trifolii
( Esper , 1783)

The swamphorn clover ram ( Zygaena trifolii ) is also called the wet meadow ram and is a butterfly ( moth ) from the ram family (Zygaenidae).

features

The moths reach a wingspan of 28 to 33 millimeters and have a completely black body. The wings of the males are more blue-black, those of the females more greenish-black. There are five red to orange-red spots on the wings, which are also visible on the undersides of the wings. They often flow together, the first and second and the third and fourth are usually connected or at least very close together. The wing tips of both pairs of wings are more rounded than those of the similar horny clover ram ( Zygaena lonicerae ). The fore wings are also shorter and less pointed. The hind wings and also their edge are wider in relation to Z. lonicerae . The antennae , on the other hand, are shorter and have a stronger, but shorter, pointed club.

The caterpillars are like moths to those of the trefoil-Widderchens similar and also have, however powerful, light green base color and a fine white hair. The animals have black rows of dots on both sides of the back and each side of the body and yellow rows of dots in between. The yellow ones partly merge with the green basic color. The black rows, especially those on the back with the larger spots, result in a row of "X" in their shape.

Similar species

Occurrence

The moths come from North Africa , across the western Mediterranean , southern England and Central Europe to Ukraine . They are absent in Scandinavia , the Central Alps and Italy . They can be found on wet meadows , in floodplains , spring moors and in damp forest clearings , but they have become rare due to the decline in wetlands. In Austria the species was found again in Vorarlberg at the end of the 1990s, after having been considered lost for a long time .

Way of life

Flight and caterpillar times

The moths fly in one generation from mid-June to mid-August. The caterpillars can be found from August and after wintering until June.

Food of the caterpillars

The caterpillars feed mainly on the leaves of marsh horn clover ( Lotus uliginosus ), but also on common horn clover ( Lotus corniculatus ).

development

The eggs are yellow, rounded and elongated. They are found in groups on the underside of the leaves of the forage plants. The caterpillars overwinter. It is possible that diapause may take them up to five years to develop. Pupation takes place in an elongated, straw-yellow cocoon high up on blades of grass. The doll in it is black.

Hazard and protection

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Peter Huemer, The Sumpfhornklee-Widderchen (Zygaena trifolii) - a rediscovery for Austria , Vorarlberger Naturschau 7, Dornbirn 1999
  2. ↑ Manfred Koch : We identify butterflies. Volume 2: Bears, Spinners, Swarmers and Drills in Germany. 2nd, expanded edition. Neumann, Radebeul / Berlin 1964, DNB 452481929 , p. 60f.
  3. ↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany. Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 1998, ISBN 978-3-896-24110-8

literature

  • Heiko Bellmann : The new Kosmos butterfly guide. Butterflies, caterpillars and forage plants. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-440-09330-1 .
  • Hans-Josef Weidemann, Jochen Köhler: Moths. Weirdos and hawkers. Naturbuch-Verlag, Augsburg 1996, ISBN 3-89440-128-1 .
  • Günter Ebert (Ed.): The Butterflies of Baden-Württemberg , Volume 3: Moths I (Root Borers (Hepialidae), Wood Borers (Cossidae), Ram (Zygaenidae), Snail Moth (Limacodidae), Sack Bearer (Psychidae), Window Spot (Thyrididae)) . Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 3-800-13472-1
  • CM Naumann, GM Tarmann, WG Tremewan: The Western Palaearctic Zygaenidae. Apollo Books, Stenstrup, 1999, ISBN 87-88757-15-3

Web links

Commons : Marshhorn-Ram  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files