Zygaena fausta
Bergkronwicken Burnet ( Zygaena fausta )
The Bergkronwicken Burnet ( Zygaena fausta ) is also called Gelbkronwicken - Rotwidderchen or Glückswidderchen and is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of burnet ( Zygaenidae ).
- 6.1 Notes and references
- 6.2 Literature
Features
The moths reach a wingspan of about 25 millimeters. They have black forewings, but which are strongly dominated by red spots that are outlined in yellow and with each other more or less related. On the thorax can be found towards the head a red collar and usually two yellow stripes. In the abdomen, the males carry a three, the females have a more than two segments reaching red ring.
The caterpillars are about 18 mm long. They are bright green and wear on the sides of an alternating white and yellow sidelines. In black dots are lined up in parallel. The neck shield and the Nachschieber are pink.
Occurrence
The animals come in Central Europe only very rarely and are rapidly declining in their inventory numbers. They are still found in the Swabian Alb, in the Franconian Jura (as in Neuburg an der Donau), in the Alps, especially in the western Mediterranean. The deposits in Bavaria south of the Danube are now extinct. In Austria the way in Vorarlberg and Tyrol ( Lech Valley ) has been demonstrated. They live in warm forest edges, with calcareous soils and inventories in its food plant and in the Alps covered with debris avalanche slopes like. At their localities, they are often found on very small areas in large numbers.
Way of life
The moths could sit often in groups on violet and pink flowers, especially on scabious, marsh and oregano.
Flight times and caterpillars
The Bergkronwicken burnet flies in one generation from mid-July to mid-August. The caterpillars can be observed from September to June and after hibernation.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars feed on the extra-Alpine central Europe exclusively from the leaves of mountain Kronwicke ( Coronilla coronata ) in southern Europe and the Alps, they also eat other Kronwickenarten ( Coronilla ).
Development
The females lay their yellow eggs in small mirrors side by side on the top or underside of the leaves of their food plants. The caterpillars live together. They overwinter and pupate until next year on the ground in a tönchenförmigen, glossy white cocoon at the end of the heyday of their food plants. The doll is gray-brown and has bright leaf sheaths.
Threats and conservation
- Red List FRG: 2 ( endangered ).