Brintesia

Brintesia
Brintesia circe
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Suborder: Glossata
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Satyrinae
Genus: Brintesia
Fruhstorfer, 1911
Species: B. circe
Binomial name
Brintesia circe
(Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms
  • Genus level
    • Oreas Hübner, [1806]
    • Oreas Oken, 1815
  • Species level
    • Hipparchia circe
    • Kanetisa circe
    • Papilio circe Fabricius, 1775
    • Papilio proserpina Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775

Brintesia is a monotypic butterfly genus in the family Nymphalidae and subfamily Satyrinae. Its one species is Brintesia circe, the great banded grayling.

Description

Brintesia circe reaches on average wingspan of 65–80 millimetres (2.6–3.1 in). Its wings are mainly black or dark brown. They have a broad white band at the edge of the basal area of all wings and usually a second white streak on the lower wings. The black eyespots on the underside of the upper wings have a white contour. Brintesia circe is quite similar to Hipparchia fagi, but in the latter the second white streak on the lower wings is always missing and the eyespots havea yellow contour. These butterflies usually rest on the branches of a tree, protected by their cryptic markings, but ready to take off and fly away when disturbed.

Biology

These butterflies fly in one generation from June to September feeding on nectar of flowers. Larvae feed on various herbaceous plants (mainly on Anthoxanthum, Bromus, Festuca and Sesleria species). The young larvae overwinter.

Distribution

The species can be found in central and southern Europe (Spain, France, Italy, Greece, southern Germany and Poland), in Anatolia and the Caucasus up to Iran.

Habitat

These butterflies prefer light woodland, grasslands bordering forest edges and generally dry and bushy environments, at an altitude of 0–1,600 metres (0–5,249 ft) above sea level.

Subspecies

References

    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brintesia circe.


    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.