Muschampia proto

Muschampia proto

Muschampia proto is a butterfly of the family of Skipper ( Hesperiidae ).

Features

The forewing length is 14 to 15 millimeters. The top is dark gray and is usually easily covered with yellowish hairs. Located on the upper side are distinct white or yellow Diskalflecke and indistinct crescent Submarginalflecke. The underside of the hind wings is basically variable from yellow -gray to reddish-brown. Furthermore, white or brownish spots are as shown on the top, but mostly indistinct.

The eggs are yellowish and flattened. The outside is strongly ribbed, the ribs may be slightly curved. Some ribs terminate before the edge of the micropyle.

The caterpillars are dark gray with black head in the first stages. In the final stage they are light gray, shortly before or during the summer rest there is set a light brown or orange-brown hue. They are very hairy and stocky in the latter stages.

The doll is strong bluish pruinose, with almost no black spots on the abdomen. Only on the back side of the thorax, a significant longitudinal line is formed.

Variability

Butterflies that are in the spring and early summer usually relatively large and have a olive-gray hind wings underside. Butterflies are flying in the summer usually somewhat smaller and have a brown or reddish-brown hind wings underside. In Morocco and southern Spain specimens live with forewing length 15-17 mm. They are also known as f fulvosatura Berity, 1925.

Geographic occurrence and habitat

Muschampia is prototypical of North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, southern France, southern Italy, ? Albania, Macedonia,? Bulgaria, Greece spread to Asia Minor. In the north, the species is still reported from the Crimea. The occurrence is very locally, the incidence probably largely isolated. He holds on to dry, hot and little -covered rocky slopes in the valleys of the mountains. However, he also comes imFlachland before on dry grassland. In Morocco, the moth is even to be found up to 2000 meters. In Greece moths were still observed in 1600 meters above sea level.

Way of life

The moths fly regionally something different from April to October in a generation. The main flight period is in the south of France in August. The long time of flight of moths explained by a summer of rest verpuppungsbereiten caterpillar., Which lasts different lengths. For this purpose, it is spun up about the beginning of June in the later pupal cocoon, invests in leaves of the food plant. The cocoon is applied in some decimeter height above the ground in order to avoid the greatest heat. Eggs are laid singly by the female alone at the bottom of the caterpillar food plant or even on rocks in the immediate vicinity. The caterpillar lives on fire herbs ( Phlomis ), demonstrated for the French Phlomis herba -venti are and Phlomis lychnidis. Tolman & Lewington give Phlomis fruticosa additionally for " Europe". For North Africa Phlomis crinita and Phlomis bovei be named as caterpillar food plants. In southern France wintered the Eiraupe.