Tarucus balkanica
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Tarucus balkanica , undersides of the wings |
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| Tarucus balkanica | ||||||||||||
| ( Freyer , 1844) |
Tarucus balkanicus is a butterfly ( butterfly ) from the family of Gossamer (Lycaenidae). According to the sex of the genus , the species is also led under the synonym Tarucus balkanicus .
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 shimmer bluish, sometimes slightly gray-blue. There are distinct, black discoidal and postdiscoidal spots on the forewings. The upper side of the wing of the females, however, is predominantly gray-brown and in some specimens with indistinct whitish spots. The undersides of the fore and hind wings have a whitish color in both sexes, from which many black spots stand out, some of which are formed in the middle as short stripes or as a discoid band and in the submarginal region as a chain of dots. There is a very thin, short tail near the anal corner. The abdomen is alternately ringed black and white.
Similar species
Tarucus theophrastus and Tarucus rosacea differ in the weaker discoidal and postdiscoidal spots on the upper side of the forewing in the males and more pronounced whitish spots in the females. However, a genital morphological examination is advisablefor a reliable determination.
distribution and habitat
Tarucus balkanica occurs in Greece , Turkey , Israel and further east through Asia to India . The species also colonizes tropical areas of Africa. It prefers to live in hot, open, dry areas rich in bushes.
Way of life
The moths form several generations per year, which can be found from April to October. They like to visit the flowers of Micromeria species to take in nectar . The females lay the eggs on the branches of a food plant, usually near the base of a thorn. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of Christ's thorn ( Paliurus spina-christi ) and Ziziphus lotus . They live in symbiosis with ants . The pupae overwinter.
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ Fauna Europaea https://fauna-eu.org/cdm_dataportal/taxon/9ad9d14b-813f-4924-b1d6-6fedb7579ad7
- ↑ Chris van Swaay et al .: European Red List of Butterflies , Publications Office of the European Union, 2010, ISBN 978-92-79-14151-5 http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/european_red_list_butterflies_new.pdf
- ↑ Distribution http://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/lycaenidae/polyommatinae/tarucus/index.html#balkanicus
- ↑ a b c d Tom Tolman, Richard Lewington: The butterflies of Europe and North West Africa , Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-440-07573-7 .
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
- Lepiforum e. V. - Taxonomy and photos
- Tarucus balkanica at Fauna Europaea. Retrieved October 17, 2013