PAOLO PAOLUCCI

BUTTERFLIES AND BURNETSOF THE ALPS

AND THEIR CATERPILLAR, PUPAE AND COCOON

12

Example of the card

184

Lycaenidae

♂♀

- nival

- alpine

- subalpine

- montane

- lowland

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

J

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F M A M J J A S O N D

a wide range of Fabaceae

12-18 mm

P. eros, P. bellargus

Lasius spp., F. cinerea, Plagiolepis pygmaea, Myrmica sabuleti, M. lobicornis

Widespread and very common; it can be found on a wide ran-ge of open habitats, often in unimproved grassland, roadside verges, woodlands edges and clearings, scrubby grasslands and every types of meadows.

O

LC

Polyommatus icarus (Rottemburg, 1775)

Icaro; l'Argus bleu; Hauhechel-Bläuling; Navadni modrin; Common Blue

2

1 ♂ violet-blue, ♀ brown with orange submarginal spots and white fringes

cell-spot

3 black ocell 2-3-4 in line

2

1

3

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

Vernacle name: Italiano; FranÇaise; Deutsch; Slovenski jezik; English

Larval host plants

Sunny preference

Fenology

Similar species

FW lenght

Habitat

Distribution

Myrmecophily (ants species)

Altitudinal zonation

Diagnostic characters

Broods

Altitudinal range

All butterflies are drawing in life size

IUCN’s threatened status

13

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

Abbreviations

C CentralCW CentralwestE Eastf. FormFW Fore wingFWup Fore wing uppersideFWun Fore wing undesideHW Hind wingHWup Hind wing uppersideHWun Hind wing undesideN NorthNE NorthestNW NorthernWestUps UppersideUns UndersideSp Wing Spacesp./sp.pl. species (singular)/species (plural)ssp. subspeciesSt StreakV Wing VeinW West♂ Male♀ Female

14

anal angle

outer margin

V7

V6

V5V4

V3

V2V1

V8V9V10

V11V12 costal

cell

Sp6

Sp5Sp4

Sp3

Sp2

Sp1bSp1a

cell Sp6

Sp5Sp4

Sp3Sp2

Sp1b

Sp7

Sp1

V1b

V7

V6

V5

V4V3V2

Sp7Sp8

Wing Venation

Sp1a

V8

V1a

Wing - area

Fore wing

Hind wing

median

median

costa

radial V or subcostal

dc1dc2

dc3

dc1dc2

V1-V12 : VeinsSp1 - Sp8: Spacedc : discocellular vein

costa

submarginal area

basal

area

submarg

inal

area

disca

l area

basa

l are

a subm

argi

nal a

rea

disc

al a

rea

apex

outer margin

inner margin

costa

inner margin

costa

margin

subapical area

anal angle

apex

submarginal area

margin

15

Melanargia

Hesperidae PapilionoideaZygaena

I°

II° III°

II°

III°

I°

KEY FOR THE FAMILY AND SOME GENUS

1 Thorax and head large with antennae widely separated; small-size butterflies with fast flight Hesperiidae

- Thorax and head large with antennae widely separated; small to medium size butterflies with slow flight; wing brightly coloured (black or grey with red or yellow spots or strike)

Zygaena- Different from above 2

2 Ups white chequered with black; FW with subapical black ocellus>; medium-size but-terflies Nymphalidae - genus Melanargia

- Different from above 3

3 Three pair of legs well developed 4- Only two pair of legs well developed 11

4 Ups blue, white, whitish, pale grey, often with well developed dark marking - or yellow with HW scalloped or with tail 5

- Ups orange, reddish, brown, blue, purple, black, or yellow with HW not scalloped and without tails 10

5 Small-size butterflies (FW length < 23 mm); Ups blue, ligth-blue, purple, silver, brown or grey, often with orange submarginal lunules; Uns white or pale grey, often with blu-ish - green basal flush and several black ocelli - or with several white and light brown

48

Hesperidae

♂

♀

- nival

- alpine

- subalpine

- montane

- lowland

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

16-18 mm

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F M A M J J A S O N D

Sporadic, but sometimes locally common; form small well-defined colonies in pet bogs, along grassy woodland edges, tall herb fringes and grassy banks; it also occurs on dry scrublands.

Molinia coerulea,Brachipodium sp. pl., Poa sp. pl.O

LC

Heteropterus morpheus (Pallas, 1771)

Morfeo; le Miroir; Spiegelfleck Dickkopffalter; Pisani poplesovalček;Large Chequered Skipper

2

1

2

1 dark brown

yellow with black-bordered white spots

49

Hesperidae

♂ ♀

- nival

- alpine

- subalpine

- montane

- lowland

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

14-15 mm

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F M A M J J A S O N D

Widespread but local and uncommon; it frequents bogs woodlands, woodland clearings and tall herb fringes.

Molinia coerulea, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Dactylis glomerata, Calamagrostis epigejos, C. villosa, Phleum pratense, Poa trivialis

O

LC

Carterocephalus palaemon (Pallas, 1771)

Palemone; l'Hespérie du brome, l'Échiquier; Gelbwüfeliger Dickkopffalter, Bunter Dickkopffalter; Lisasti obloglavček; Chequered Skipper

2

1

2

1

dark brown with yellow markings

yellowish brown with dark bordered yellow spots

58

Papilionidae

♂

♀

- nival

- alpine

- subalpine

- montane

- lowland

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

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Z. polyxena

22-25 mm

W Alps, locally common; occurs on dry grasslands, neglected cultivations areas, rocky slopes, dry scrubs and sunny slopes.

Aristolochia pistolochia, A. rotundaM

LC

Zerynthia (Zerynthia) rumina (Linnaeus, 1758)

La Proserpine; Spanish Festoon

red spots on FW1

1

59

Papilionidae

♂

♀

- nival

- alpine

- subalpine

- montane

- lowland

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

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F M A M J J A S O N D

P. apollo, P. phoebus, Aporia crataegi

25-40 mm

Widespread and sometime very abundant; inhabits woodland clearings, forest edges, grassy slopes, bushy places, light wood-land, subalpine pastures and hay meadows.

Corydalis solida, C. cava.M

NT

Parnassius mnemosyne (Linnaeus, 1758)

Mnemosine; le Semi-Apollon; Schwarzer Apollo; Črni apolon; Clouded Apollo

both wings lacking red spots1

1

86

Pieridae

- nival

- alpine

- subalpine

- montane

- lowland

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

P. edusa

P. daplidice

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F M A M J J A S O N D

19-25 mm

P. edusa and P. daplidice are exter-nally inseparable; identification based on the genetical analysis.

Reseda spp., Alyssum spp., Sisymbrium spp., Sinapis spp., Thlaspi spp.

Both butterflies are usually common; occurs on dry grassland, grassy slopes, steppe, culti-vated areas and stony grassland; migrants and vagrants.

O

LC

Pontia edusa (Fabricius, 1777) - Pontia daplidice (Linnaeus, 1758)

Edusa; Östlicher Weißling; Eastern Bath WhiteDaplidice; la Marbré-de-vert; Resedafalter; Katančev selec; Bath White

1

2 markings rounded

apex rounded

3 discoidal spot not reaching costa

1

2

3

87

♀♂

discoidal spot small or lacking

C. palaeno

C. erate ♂ C. myrmidone ♂ C. chrysotheme ♂

sulphur-yellowmarginal border unmarked yellow veins

C. crocea ♂androconial patch

LC

1 FW discoidal spot always well developed 2- FW lacking discoidal spot or discoidal spot small; Ups ground colour pale sulphur yel-

low (male) to off-white (female); black marginal borders solid black palaeno

2 FW strong black marginal border without yellowish marking 3- FW black with several yellowish marking 6

3 Ups and Uns ground colour sulphur-yellow erate ♂- Ups ground colour orange yellow 4

4 Ups dark marginal borders crossed proximally by yellow veins 5- Ups marginal borders unmarked by yellow veins myrmidone ♂

5 HWup costa with androconial patch crocea ♂- HWup costa without androconial patch chrysotheme ♂

KEY TO THE GENUS COLIAS

134

P. glandon P. optilete

P. baton / P. vicrama P. amandus

no white chevron on sp4

white chevron on sp4

KEY TO THE BLUE POLYOMMATINAE

25 HWun without white chevron on sp4 26- HWun with white chevron on sp4 27

26 Small butterfly (FW length <15 mm); Ups ground colour grey-bluish; fringes heavy chequered Pseudophilotes baton / Pseudophilotes vicrama

- Medium-size butterflies (FW >17 mm); Ups ground-colour dusky-blue with dark border wide, diffuse; FWun submarginal dark lunules often reduced or absent; fringes uniformly coloured Polyommatus (Polyommatus) amandus ♂

22 Orange submarginal lunules only on HWun 23- Orange submarginal lunules on both wings 29

23 HWun orange spot only in Sp2 24- HWun with several orange submarginal spots 25

24 Ups ground-colour pale grey-blue with black discoidal spots white-winged Plebeius (Agriades) glandon ♂- Ups ground colour dark violet-blue Plebeius (Vacciniina) optilete ♂

135

P. eros

cell-spot

P. coridon P. hispanus

faint yellowish reflections faint reddish reflections

KEY TO THE BLUE POLYOMMATINAE

27 Small butterfly (FW length <15 mm); Ups ground-colour bright sky-blue with black marginal border well defined Polyommatus (Polyommatus) eros ♂

- Medium-size butterflies (FW>15 mm) 28

28 Ups pale grey-blue with faint yellowish reflections; FWun pale grey and HWun light-brown, with small black ocelli; fringes clearly chequered Polyommatus (Meleageria) coridon ♂

- Ups pale grey-blue with faint reddish reflections; Uns pale grey, with large and bold black ocelli; fringes clearly chequered Polyommatus (Meleageria) hispanus ♂

29 FWun with cell-spot 30- FWun without cell-spot 31

30 Fringes uniformly coloured, white Polyommatus (Polyommatus) icarus ♂- Fringes clear white chequered black Polyommatus (Meleageria) bellargus ♂

31 HWun with white chevron on Sp4 32- HWun without white chevron on Sp4 35

174

Lycaenidae

♂♀

J

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F M A M J J A S O N D

- nival

- alpine

- subalpine

- montane

- lowland

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

Astragalus alpinus, Oxytropis jac-quinii, O. campestris, Hedysarum hedysaroides

12-14 mm

Sporadic but locally common; it frequents subalpine grassy slopes, pastures, scrubby grasslands, grassy screes and border of alpine streams.

O

LC

Plebeius (Albulina) orbitulus (de Prunner, 1798)

Albulina dell'astralago; l'Azur de la phaque; Heller Alpen-Bläuling; Gorska bledica;Alpine Blue

1

2

white spots conspicuous

♂ shining blue; ♀ light brown with basal blue dusting

1

2

175

Lycaenidae

♂ ♀

J

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F M A M J J A S O N D

- nival

- alpine

- subalpine

- montane

- lowland

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

Geranium sylvaticum

14-17 mm

Lasius alienus, Myrmica spp., Tapinoma spp.

Widespread and generally common; it frequents medows and woodland edges with abundant cranesbills; it also occurs on tall herb fringes.

M

LC

Aricia eumedon (Esper, 1780)

Eumedone; l'Argus de la sanguinaire; Storchschnabel-Bläuling; Krvomočničina rjavka;Geranium Argus

1

2

3

dark-brown with orange submarginal spots

basal green-blue flush

white streak along vein 4

1

2

3