Essex Skipper
Black Kolbiger brown Dickkopffalter ( Thymelicus lineola )
The black bulbous brown Dickkopffalter ( Thymelicus lineola ) counts as the brown bulbous brown Dickkopffalter to the frequent Dickkopffalter species.
- 6.1 Notes and references
Features
The moths reach a wingspan of 22-26 millimeters. They have orange-brown wing tops that have a dark outer edge with bright hem. Some wing veins are dark colored. The males possess in contrast to the other two similar species of the genus only faint scent scales strokes on the top of the front wings. In contrast to the brown -enveloped Dickkopffalter the underside of the sensor piston black instead of red-brown and the entire wing underside is yellow-brown, without greenish- gray areas.
The caterpillars are about 21 mm long. They are light green and also have a dark enclosed, bright stripes on the back sides a further light streaks. The head is green, brown only at the top with two yellow stripes.
Similar Species
- Brown Kolbiger Brown - Skipper ( Thymelicus sylvestris)
- Mattscheckiger Brown - Skipper ( Thymelicus Acteon )
Occurrence
The animals are spread throughout Europe, with the exception of northern Scandinavia and in Central Asia to the Amur. They are found up to an altitude of 2,200 meters. In North America, they were introduced in 1910 in Ontario and are there partly as pests, where they are especially in timothy grass ( Phleum ) of economic importance. In Central Europe, they are common and can be found everywhere and live in dry and in humid areas such as on dry grassland, forest edges and wet meadows.
Flight time
They fly in one generation from mid-June to August. The eggs are found from September, the caterpillars after hibernation until June.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars feed on various grasses, such as of the ordinary orchard grass ( Dactylis glomerata ), pinna - Zwenke ( Brachypodium pinnatum ) and sand reed grass ( Calamagrostis epigejos ).
Development
The females lay their oval, elongated eggs in rows of three to ten pieces of leaf sheaths scrawny grasses. The caterpillars develop initially in the egg, but do not hatch until after winter. They sit freely on the stalks and pupate on such by producing on the top of a straw a dream.