Hesperia comma
Comma Skipper (male ) ( Hesperia comma )
The comma Skipper ( Hesperia comma ) is a butterfly ( butterfly ) from the family of Skipper ( Hesperiidae ).
- 3.1 Flight and caterpillar time
- 3.2 food of the caterpillars
- 3.3 Development
- 5.1 Notes and references
- 5.2 Literature
Features
The moths reach a wingspan of 25-30 millimeters. The wings are colored in the first half ( Basalhälfte ) orange brown, but be towards the tip dark. In the dark area, they carry several bright spots. The males have a dark " comma " on the top of the front wings. This is a fragrance shed strips, can be sent to the attractants that will make the females ready to mate. The females are darker and have larger spots on. The underside of the hindwing is yellow ocher and also has several bright spots.
The comma butterfly is difficult to distinguish from the rust colored Dickkopffalter ( Ochlodes sylvanus ). But the point of the comma butterfly is usually still permeated with a silver graduation and protrudes above the wing surface also.
The caterpillars are about 26 mm long, built plump and hairless. They are dark brown, green, gray-green or dark pink in color and have a black head, carrying two fine, yellowish stripes and a yellowish forehead triangle.
Similar Species
- Rust Colored Dickkopffalter ( Ochlodes sylvanus ) ( Bremer & Grey, 1853)
Occurrence
This species is in the northwest of Africa, Europe, Turkey, in temperate Asia as far as the Amur and also in America's north-west to an altitude of 2,300 meters, in Africa to 2,800 meters before. You are missing on all the islands of the Mediterranean, except Sicily. They live in sunny, dry and sparsely vegetated areas such as on dry grasslands and rocky steppes, in sand pits and along roads but also on alpine Magerrasen.
Way of life
The flight of the butterfly always seems nervous and hectic.
Flight and caterpillar time
The animals live in a generation per year from mid- June to August, the caterpillar season is from April to June. In cold areas, such as in Alaska they need two years to develop.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars feed on grasses narrow-leaved, but especially of Genuine Sheep fescue ( Festuca ovina ).
Development
The females lay their smooth, hemispherical, white eggs singly on grass in small clumps. Except in the warm regions overwinters either the egg or the young caterpillar, without food. Otherwise, the half-grown caterpillar overwinters. The animals live in a self-made quiver from plant parts where they are well protected from predators. They live on the ground and pupate there as well in a web of spunbonded plant parts. The lying therein, brown-colored doll is frosted waxy. It is striking that the proboscis sheath is formed significantly longer than the elytra.
Threats and conservation
Red List BRD: 3 (endangered )