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 Duke of Burgundy, Hamearis lucina
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| Hamearis lucina (Linnaeus, 1758) |
The Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina) is a European butterfly in the family Riodinidae. Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for A butterfly is an Insect of the order Lepidoptera. Like all Lepidoptera butterflies are notable for their unusual life cycle with a The Riodinidae (or metalmarks) are a family of butterflies. The common name "metalmarks" refers to the small metallic-looking spots commonly For many years, it was known as the "Duke of Burgundy Fritillary", because of the adult's similar markings to "true" Fritillaries of the family Nymphalidae. The Nymphalidae is a family of about 5000 Species of butterflies which are distributed throughout most of the world
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Description
The male Duke of Burgundy has a wingspan of 29–31 mm, and the female 31–34 mm (Oates & Emmet, 1990). The upper side of the wings are marked in a chequered pattern strongly reminiscent of a fritillary butterfly (family Nymphalidae); however, the Duke may be separated on account of its wing shape (Tomlinson & Still, 2002). The Duke also has a distinctive underwing pattern (see image below).
Range
The species range is restricted to the Western Palaearctic, from Spain, the UK and Sweden to the Balkans (Oates & Emmet, 1990). The Palearctic or Palaearctic is one of the eight Ecozones dividing the Earth surface Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. It is the sole representative of its (sub)family in Europe (Oates & Emmet, 1990).
Status
Duke of Burgundy was added to the UK Biodiversity Action Plan in 2007 (Butterfly Conservation, 2007). The United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP is the governmental response to the Convention on Biological Diversity. It is also listed in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which requires anyone wishing to trade the species to have a licence (Butterfly Conservation, n. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom which aims to protect the Wildlife and Countryside of the d. ).
Habitat
Two distinct habitats are used in the UK (Tomlinson & Still, 2002):
- Grassland on chalk or limestone
- Clearings in ancient woodland
Colonies prefer areas where the food plants grow among tussocky vegetation. Grasslands (also called greenswards) are areas where the Vegetation is dominated by Grasses ( Poaceae) and other Herbaceous (non-woody Chalk (ʧɔːk is a soft white porous Sedimentary rock, a form of Limestone composed of the Mineral Calcite. Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 ‘ Ancient Woodland ’ is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer specifically to Woodland dating back to 1600 or before in England and Wales The species prefers north- or west-facing slopes in downland habitats. A downland is an area of open Chalk Hills This term is especially used to describe the Chalk countryside in southern England.
Habits
As adults, the sexes exhibit distinctly different behavioural patterns. Males are highly territorial, defending small sheltered, but warm, areas. Spectacular aerial "dog fights" occur between males. A dogfight or dog fight is Aerial combat between Fighter aircraft. Females are less "showy", but are prone to wander, frequently travelling 250 m. New colonies have been established more than 5 km from the nearest known existing colony. (Oates & Emmet, 1990; Tomlinson & Still, 2002; Butterfly Conservation, n. d. )
Life cycle
Egg
Eggs are typically laid in small groups (up to 8) on the underside of leaves of a host-plant; though they may also be laid singly or on foliage adjacent to the food-plant (e. g. if primulas are growing among dense vegetation, old females laying in hot weather). Particularly "good" plants or leaves may have eggs from more than one female. The egg is spherical, with a flattened base, measuring 0. 6 mm in diameter. The eggs are initially glossy and opaque, turning to a uniform pale green; prior to hatching, they develop a distinct dark purple blotch. Significant, though unintentional, predators of Duke of Burgundy eggs are large snails, as they eat primulas in the spring. The word snail is a Common name that can be used for almost all members of the Molluscan class Gastropoda which have coiled shells in the The eggs hatch after 7–21 days depending on weather conditions. (Oates & Emmet, 1990; Tomlinson & Still, 2002. )
Caterpillar
Newly emerged caterpillars are almost transparent, with a few long pale hairs. They move down to the base of leaf stems, where they spend the daylight hours (the caterpillars are nocturnal). As an Animal behavior, nocturnality describes sleeping during the Daytime and being active at Night - the opposite of the diurnal For most of its first instar (before the first moult), the caterpillar is pale green. An instar is a developmental stage of Arthropods, such as Insects, between each moult ( ecdysis) until sexual maturity is reached There are four instars, lasting about 4 weeks. The full-grown fourth-instar caterpillar measures 16–17 mm. It is pale brown with a dark brown dorsal stripe and numerous hairs; there is also a central black spot on each segment (inside the dorsal stripe). Caterpillars feed mostly on the upper leaf surface, leaving leaf-veins intact, and quite unlike slug feeding signs. Slug is a common non-scientific word which is often applied to any Gastropod mollusk whatsoever that has a very reduced shell a small internal shell The caterpillars will not eat yellowed leaves, and will move on to another host-plant in search of green leaves. Duke of Burgundy caterpillars do not feed at temperatures below 11°C or when it is wet. They have no significant predators or parasites. Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between Organisms of different Species. (Oates & Emmet, 1990; Porter, 1997. )
Pupa
Duke of Burgundy pupae are short, just 9 mm long. They are pale cream (somewhat tinged pink) with evenly spaced dark brown spots and a few pale hairs. They are found either very low in dense grass or on the ground. The pupal stage lasts 9 months, with likely high mortality rates. Predators of pupae include shrews and slugs. (Oates & Emmet, 1990; Tomlinson & Still, 2002. )
Imago
Host-plants
In the UK (Oates & Emmet, 1990; Tomlinson & Still, 2002):
- Cowslip (Primula veris) — the majority of UK colonies
- Primrose (Primula vulgaris) — woodland colonies
- False Oxlip (Primula veris x vulgaris) — few colonies
- Cultivated primulas — in captivity (Porter, 1997)
References
(printed material only)
- Butterfly Conservation (n. Primula veris ( Cowslip; Syn Primula officinalis Hill) is a Flowering plant in the Genus Primula Primula vulgaris ( syn P acaulis (L Hill is a species of Primula native to western and southern Europe (from the Primula is a Genus of 400–500 Species of low-growing Herbs in the family Primulaceae. d. ), Duke of Burgundy Hamearis lucina factsheet, Butterfly Conservation, East Lulworth, UK. 2p.
- Butterfly Conservation (2007), Priority butterfly species listed in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan 2007, Butterfly Conservation, Wareham, UK. 1p.
- Oates, M. & Emmet, A. M. (1990), HAMEARIS LUCINA (Linnaeus). Pages 177–179 in Emmet, A. M. , J. Heath et al. (Eds. ) The Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland Vol. 7 Part 1 (Hesperiidae to Nymphalidae), Harley Books, Colechester, UK. 370p.
- Porter, Jim (1997), The Colour Identification Guide to Caterpillars of the British Isles (Macrolepidoptera), Viking, London. p. 14.
- Tomlinson, D. & Still, R. (2002), Britain's Butterflies, WildGuides, Old Basing, UK. pp. 94–95.
See also
(for Wiki sites)
External links
(for websites)
- UK Butterflies web-site species page
- Butterfly Conservation species page
- Images on UKLeps web-site (direct link)
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