Brown Argus
Little Rock Rose Blue ( Aricia agestis )
The Little Rock Rose Blue ( Aricia agestis ) is a butterfly ( butterfly ) of the family Lycaenidae ( Lycaenidae ).
- 3.1 Flight time
- 7.1 Notes and references
Features
The moths reach a wingspan of 22-27 millimeters. You have dark brown upper wing, which both on the front and on the hind wings distinctly orange -colored edge spots are visible. The wing undersides of both pairs of wings are pale gray-brown. On them are black to recognize light framed points wide, orange -colored spots that are arranged in a napkin. A secure demarcation to Zwillingsart Aricia artaxerxes is due to the wing patterning hardly possible, since there are smooth transitions. Also, a genital examination does not bring security, since the two species do not differ. Ecological criteria are much safer for the species identification. So close, for example, in Switzerland, the two distribution areas almost completely.
The caterpillars are about 13 mm long. They are colored yellow and green, both on the sides and at the back pink or reddish longitudinal lines. Those at the back can also be entirely absent.
Similar Species
- Large Sun Rose Blue ( Aricia artaxerxes )
Occurrence
The animals arrive in North Africa, South and Central Europe, Turkey, the Middle East and Siberia to the Amur including widespread ago. They live up to an altitude of 1,700 meters. You are in Central Europe but rare. They live in warm, sunny and dry areas, such as dry grass, on sunny forest edges or in sand pits.
Way of life
Flight time
The moths fly in two generations a year from May to June and from July to September in the north and in colder regions only in a June-July. Under good conditions, they also fly sometimes in three generations from April to October. However, this usually only applies to southern Europe and very warm areas.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars feed primarily yellow rock rose ( Helianthemum nummularium ) but also of Small cranesbill (Geranium pusillum ) and herons (Erodium cicutarium ).
Development
The females lay their eggs singly on the flowers or stems of forage crops. The young caterpillars feed only from the lower part of the leaves, the larger caterpillars eat completely. They overwinter as a caterpillar.
Threats and conservation
- Red List BRD: V ( near threatened ).