Hipparchia aristaeus explained

Hipparchia aristaeus, the southern grayling, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It was described by Franco Andrea Bonelli in 1826. It is found in North Africa, southern Europe (Greece, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica) and Asia Minor.^[1] The habitat consists of hot dry rocky areas.

The wingspan is 50–60 mm. According to Seitz aristaeus Bon. (42 f), from Sardinia and Corsica, has a heavy red- brown tint in the pale bands, which colour in the female extends far into the disc of the forewing.^[2] Adults are on wing from May to August.

The larvae feed on grasses^[3] of the family Gramineae.

Subspecies

• Hipparchia aristaeus aristaeus
• Hipparchia aristaeus algirica (Oberthür, 1876) (North Africa)

Notes and References

1. http://ftp.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/nymphalidae/satyrinae/hipparchia/ "Hipparchia Fabricius, 1807"
2. Seitz, A. in Seitz. A. ed. Band 1: Abt. 1, Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen Tagfalter, 1909, 379 Seiten, mit 89 kolorierten Tafeln (3470 Figuren)
3. Web site: Captain's European Butterfly Guide . 2013-12-18 . 2013-12-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131222045441/http://www.butterfly-guide.co.uk/species/satyrids/sat12.htm . dead .