Hamearis lucina
Duke of Burgundy | |
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Both males Ivinghoe Beacon, Buckinghamshire | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Riodinidae |
Subfamily: | Nemeobiinae |
Tribe: | Zemerini Stichel, 1928 |
Genus: | Hamearis Hübner, [1819] |
Species: | H. lucina
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Binomial name | |
Hamearis lucina | |
Synonyms | |
Genus:
Species:
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Hamearis lucina, the Duke of Burgundy, the only member of the genus Hamearis, is a European butterfly in the family Riodinidae. For many years, it was known as the "Duke of Burgundy fritillary", because the adult's chequered pattern is strongly reminiscent of "true" fritillaries of the family Nymphalidae.
Taxonomy and systematics
Riodinidae is currently treated as a distinct family within the superfamily Papilionoidea, but in the past they were held to be the subfamily Riodininae of the Lycaenidae. Earlier, they were considered to be part of the now defunct family "Erycinidae", whose species are divided between this family and the subfamily Libytheinae.
The genus Hamearis, described by
The origin of the common name is not known and the species was once called Mr Vernon's small fritillary.[2]
Description
The male has a wingspan of 29–31 millimetres (1.1–1.2 in), and the female 31–34 mm (1.2–1.3 in).[3] The upperside of the wings are marked in a chequered pattern strongly reminiscent of a fritillary butterfly (family Nymphalidae); however, the Duke of Burgundy may be separated by its wing shape.[4] Hamearis lucina also has a distinctive underwing pattern.
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Hamearis lucina ♂
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Hamearis lucina ♂ △
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Hamearis lucina ♀
Range
The species' range is restricted to the
Status
Hamearis lucina is listed on the German IUCN Red List,[5] but is considered of "least concern" on a Europe-wide basis.[6]
Hamearis lucina was added to the UK Biodiversity Action Plan in 2007.[7] It is also listed in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which requires anyone wishing to trade the species to have a licence.[8] In the first decade of the 21st century the butterfly was in serious decline in the UK due to a lack of appropriate land management and overgrazing. Since 2003, twenty-two projects targeted the butterfly which reversed the threat of local extinction in the North York Moors, Kent and Sussex. It has recolonised former sites and colonised newly created habitat where it had not been previously recorded. From 2005 to 2016 the population trend was up 90% in the UK.[9]
Habitat
Two distinct habitats are used in the UK:[4]
- Grassland on chalk or limestone
- Clearings in ancient woodland
Colonies prefer areas where the food plants grow among tussocky vegetation. The species prefers north- or west-facing slopes in downland habitats.
Habits
As adults, the sexes exhibit distinctly different behavioural patterns. Males are highly territorial, defending small sheltered, but warm, areas. Spectacular aerial "
Life cycle
Egg
Eggs are typically laid in small groups (up to eight) 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
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
Caterpillars feed mostly on the upper leaf surface, leaving leaf-veins intact, and quite unlike
Pupa
Pupae of H. lucina are short, just 9 mm (0.35 in) 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 nine months, with likely high mortality rates. Predators of pupae include shrews and slugs.[3][4]
Host plants
- Cowslip (Primula veris) — the majority of UK colonies
- Primrose (Primula vulgaris) — woodland colonies
- False oxlip (Primula × polyantha) — few colonies
- Cultivated primulas — in captivity[10]
Elsewhere in the species' range, other food plants include:[11][12]
- Oxlip (Primula elatior)
See also
References
- ^ Funet
- ISBN 9781903657126.
- ^ ISBN 0-946589-37-2.
- ^ a b c d e f Tomlinson, D.; Still, R. (2002). "Britain's Butterflies". WildGuides, Old Basing, UK. pp. 94–95.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ISBN 978-3-89624-110-8.
- ^ Chris van Swaay; Annabelle Cuttelod; Sue Collins; Dirk Maes; Miguel López Munguira; Martina Šašić; Josef Settele; Rudi Verovnik; Theo Verstrael; Martin Warren; Martin Wiemers; Irma Wynhoff (2010). "European Red List of Butterflies" (PDF). Luxemburg: European Union. pp. 1–47.
- ^ Butterfly Conservation (2007). "Priority butterfly species listed in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan 2007" (PDF). Butterfly Conservation, Wareham, UK. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-09-19.
- ^ a b Butterfly Conservation. "Duke of Burgundy Hamearis lucina" (PDF). East Lulworth, UK: Butterfly Conservation. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 19, 2010. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- ^ "Duke of Burgundy turns the corner". Butterfly Conservation. Annual Review 2017/18. 2018. p. 5. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ ISBN 87-88757-95-1.
- ISBN 3-7402-0092-8.
- ISBN 3-440-07573-7.