Vanessa gonerilla
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Vanessa gonerilla |
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| Vanessa gonerilla | ||||||||||||
| ( Fabricius , 1775) |
Vanessa gonerilla is a butterfly ( butterfly ) from the family of Nymphalidae (Nymphalidae), which is endemic in New Zealand occurs. The species is known as the New Zealand Red Admiral in English. The Māori indigenous people gave it the name Kahukura , meaning 'red coat'.
features
butterfly
The wingspan of the moth is 50 to 60 millimeters. The wings have a black to dark brown basic color. On the upper side of the forewing, a few small whitish spots stand out close to the apex . A broad, reddish transverse band extends through the discal field. The postdiscal region of the hind wings is also reddish in color and contains four black eye spots that are centered in light blue. The reddish transverse band of the forewings shows through to the underside. At the front edge there is a single large eye spot in the middle . The hind wing underside is brownish marbled.
Pre-imaginal stages
The egg is green in color, in the shape of a small barrel and covered with nine vertical ribs. The caterpillars are blackish in color, with many small white spots and yellowish side stripes. They have strongly branched thorns on the entire body surface. The falling doll is marbled yellow-brown and covered with golden spots.
Distribution, subspecies and habitat
In addition to the nominate form Vanessa gonerilla gonerilla , which occurs on the main islands of New Zealand, another subspecies is known:
- Vanessa gonerilla ida ( Alfken , 1899), on the Chatham islands .
The species originally inhabited forests primarily. With the spread of food plants, it can now also be found in many other places, including gardens and parks.
Way of life
The moths have a lifespan of up to nine months and spend the winter inactive in sheltered areas. In spring they feed on the nectar of flowers or tree sap. The eggs are laid individually on the food plant. The caterpillars feed on various nettles ( Urtica ), preferably the great nettle ( Urtica dioica ) and the ongaonga ( Urtica ferox ), which grows exclusively in New Zealand . To protect them from enemies, they spin the leaves together into a bag-like protective cover. Nevertheless, they are in number of parasitic wasps attacked (Ichneumonidae), in particular of the domestic Echthromorpha intricatori well as from Europe to reduce the small cabbage white ( Pieris rapae ) introduced Pteromalus puparum .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Red Admiral Butterfly
- ↑ dissemination
- ^ Butterflies of New Zealand
- ↑ Small cabbage white butterfly as a pest
Web links
- nzbutterfly.info - Butterfly Info