Lycaena thersamon

Last updated

Lycaena thersamon
Lesser fiery copper (Lycaena thersamon) female underside Bulgaria.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Lycaena
Species:
L. thersamon
Binomial name
Lycaena thersamon
Esper, 1784

Lycaena thersamon, the lesser fiery copper, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found from Eastern Europe, Italy and South-East Europe to Mongolia and North-Western China.

Contents

The wingspan is 14–16 mm. The butterfly flies from April to October depending on the location.

The larvae feed on Polygonum aviculare , and possibly other Polygonaceae species.

Description from Seitz

C. thersamon Esp. (= xanthe Hhn.) (76 e). Bright golden red; but the hindwing, also in the male, so much dusted with dark scaling that a light submarginal band contrasts with the ground. On the underside the disc of the forewing and the submarginal band of the hindwing both cinnabar-red, contrasting with the grey ground. South-east Europe, the eastern districts of Italy opposite the Balkan Peninsula, Asia Minor and Turkestan, extending north-westwards to Hungary, Bohemia and Saxony. — omphale Klug (76 e) is the short-tailed summer-form, which flies from July until September. — In persica Bien. the upperside is very fiery and the dots of the median row on the hindwing beneath are larger; in the sub-alpine region of the mountains north-west of El Meshed (Persia). — alaica Gr.-Grsh. is washed with dark on the upperside, and has the underside more yellowish with larger dots. Ferghana. — Larva green, with swollen segments, the dorsal line yellow, thinly divided, the side-line likewise yellow, between the two lines darker oblique smears; head and legs brown; adult in June and again in the autumn on Sarothamnus and Rumex. The pupa evenly rounded, dark brown. The butterflies occur as tailless form in April and May, and again as omphale from July onward, flying on dry sunny hillsides, not being rare at their flight-places. [1]

Related Research Articles

Adonis blue Species of butterfly

The Adonis blue is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It inhabits the Palearctic realm.

Purple-shot copper Species of butterfly

The purple-shot copper is a butterfly in the family of the Lycaenidae or copper butterflies and in the genus of the Lycaena.

Scarce copper Species of butterfly

The scarce copper is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae.

Purple-edged copper Species of butterfly

The purple-edged copper is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae.

<i>Erebia epistygne</i> Species of butterfly

Erebia epistygne, the spring ringlet, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in France and Spain. Its natural habitat is temperate grassland.

Marbled ringlet Species of butterfly

The marbled ringlet is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae.

Styrian ringlet Species of butterfly

The Styrian ringlet is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae. It is a mountain butterfly found in the Austrian and Italian Alps, Croatia and Slovenia.

Black ringlet Species of butterfly

The black ringlet is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae. It is a high-altitude butterfly found in Albania, former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania.

<i>Hipparchia hermione</i> Species of butterfly

Hipparchia hermione, the rock grayling, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. The species can be found in Central Europe, Southern Europe, Eastern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia and the Caucasus.

<i>Coenonympha glycerion</i> Species of butterfly

Coenonympha glycerion, the chestnut heath, is a butterfly species belonging to the family Nymphalidae. It can be found in Eastern Europe and east across the Palearctic to Siberia and the Caucasus to North Korea.

<i>Melitaea didyma</i> Species of butterfly

Melitaea didyma, the spotted fritillary or red-band fritillary, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.

<i>Lycaena helle</i> Species of butterfly

Lycaena helle, the violet copper, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found from the Pyrenees to northern Norway and from Belgium east across the Palearctic to Central Asia, Siberia and Amur.The wingspan is 24–26 mm. The butterfly flies from May to July depending on the location.

<i>Lycaena tityrus</i> Species of butterfly

Lycaena tityrus, the sooty copper, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Europe.

<i>Agriades optilete</i> Species of butterfly

Agriades optilete, the cranberry blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in north eastern Europe, the Alps, North Asia, Japan, Korea and north western North America.

<i>Pseudophilotes baton</i> Species of butterfly

Pseudophilotes baton, the baton blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in central and southern Europe and then east across the Palearctic to the Russian Far East.

<i>Polyommatus dorylas</i> Species of butterfly

Polyommatus (Plebicula) dorylas, the turquoise blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in southern Europe, Asia Minor, the Ural Mountains, Caucasus and Transcaucasia. Its wingspan is 15–17 mm. The butterfly's common name comes from the dazzling bright blue colour of male's wings. The larvae feed on Anthyllis vulneraria. The butterfly flies from May to September in two generations. Habitats include flowery meadows in rocky areas at 500–2000 m.

<i>Coenonympha leander</i> Species of butterfly

Coenonympha leander, the Russian heath, is a butterfly belonging to the family Nymphalidae. It is found in northern Greece, Hungary, Bulgaria, southern Russia, Asia Minor, Armenia and Iran. The habitat consists of warm grassy areas.

Lycaena violacea is a small butterfly found in the Palearctic that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family.

<i>Erebia dabanensis</i> Species of butterfly

Erebia dabanensis is a small butterfly found in the East Palearctic that belongs to the browns family.

<i>Polyommatus damone</i> Species of butterfly

Polyommatus damone is a butterfly found in the Palearctic that belongs to the blues family.

References

  1. Seitz, A. ed. Band 1: Abt. 1, Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen Tagfalter, 1909, 379 Seiten, mit 89 kolorierten Tafeln (3470 Figuren)