Brintesia circe
Encyclopedia
The Great Banded Grayling (Brintesia circe) is a butterfly
of the family Nymphalidae
. It is the only species belonging to the genus Brintesia
.
on the underside of the upper wings have a white contour. Brintesia circe is quite similar to Hipparchia fagi
, but in the last one the second white streak on the lowers wings is always missing and the eyespots has a 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.
, Bromus
, Festuca and Sesleria
species). The young larvae overwinter.
(Spain
, France
, Italy
, Greece
, southern Germany
and Poland
), in Anatolia
and the Caucasus
up to Iran
.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
of the family Nymphalidae
Nymphalidae
The Nymphalidae is a family of about 5,000 species of butterflies which are distributed throughout most of the world. These are usually medium sized to large butterflies. Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colourful wings flat when resting. They are also called...
. It is the only species belonging to the genus Brintesia
Brintesia
Brintesia is a genus of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae subfamily Satyrinae.This genus, described by Hans Fruhstorfer in 1911, has only one species:Brintesia circe , common name: the Great Banded Grayling-References:* *...
.
Description
Brintesia circe reaches on average 65–80 mm (2.6–3.1 ) of wingspan. 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 eyespotsEyespot (mimicry)
An eyespot is an eye-like marking. They are found on butterflies, reptiles, birds and fish. In members of the Felidae family , the white circular markings on the backs of the ears are termed ocelli, and they are functionally similar to eyespots in other animals.Eyespots may be a form of...
on the underside of the upper wings have a white contour. Brintesia circe is quite similar to Hipparchia fagi
Hipparchia fagi
The Woodland Grayling is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. The species can be found in Europe, mainly south of the Alps.The wingspan is 66-76 mm. The butterflies fly from June to September....
, but in the last one the second white streak on the lowers wings is always missing and the eyespots has a 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 AnthoxanthumAnthoxanthum
Anthoxanthum, the vernal grasses or vernalgrasses, is a large genus of true grass with a cosmopolitan distribution.A. odoratum is a common species of acidic grassland and bogs in northern Europe....
, Bromus
Bromus
Bromus is a large genus of the grass family . Estimates in the scientific literature of the number of species have ranged from 100 to 400, but plant taxonomists currently recognize around 160–170 species...
, Festuca and Sesleria
Sesleria
Sesleria is a genus of perennial grass in the Poaceae family.-Species:* Sesleria achtarovii* Sesleria alba* Sesleria albanica* Sesleria albicans* Sesleria americana* Sesleria anatolica* Sesleria angustifolia...
species). The young larvae overwinter.
Distribution
The species can be found in Central and Southern EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, southern Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
), in Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
and the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
up to Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
Habitat
These butterflies prefer light woodland, grasslands bordering forest edges and generally dry and bushy environments, at an altitude of 0–1600 m (0–5,249.3 ) above sea level.Subspecies
- Brintesia circe pannonia (Fruhstorfer, 1917)
- Brintesia circe venusta (Fruhstorfer, 1909)