Butterflies of
Europe
Woodland
Brown
Lopinga achine
SCOPOLI, 1763
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
SATYRINAE
Tribe - SATYRINI
subtribe - PARARGINA
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Woodland Brown
Lopinga achine
© Peter Bruce-Jones |
Introduction
The genus
Lopinga comprises of only 4 species. All have their
core populations in China, which is where the genus probably evolved. Two have
been adaptable enough to be able to expand their ranges westward -
deidamia, which reaches the Ural mountains; and
achine, which has managed to spread as far west as
the Pyrenees.
In Europe
Lopinga achine is a declining species, generally regarded as scarce, but
can be locally common in parts of Switzerland, Hungary and Croatia.
Habitats
This
species is found in grassy woodland edge habitats at elevations between about
200-1500m.
Lifecycle
The adult
flight period is from mid-June to early July.
The eggs are
laid on the blades of grasses growing in dappled sunlight,
usually close to trees or bushes. The larvae hatch in mid-July,
feed for a few weeks, and then hibernate at the base of grass
clumps. They awaken in the spring, resume feeding, and become
fully grown by late May.
In its final
instar the caterpillar is light green, with a prominent white stripe running
beneath the spiracles along the abdominal segments, and a series of very fine
lines running along the length of the back. The body and head are sparsely
covered in short whitish hairs.
The larval
foodplants are grasses and sedges, but the exact species used for oviposition
apparently varies from site to site. In France
Brachypodium sylvaticum and B. pinnatum are
thought to be the primary foodplants, but field observations by Bergman showed
that at a site in Sweden 85% of larvae there fed on Carex
montana. Some were found also on Dechampsia
cespitosa but the latter had a high mortality rate.
Adult behaviour
Males feed either singly or in small groups, at
sources of mineralised moisture including seepages, urine-tainted soil, dry
river beds and dung. Females are more secretive in behaviour but have been
recorded feeding at aphid secretions on the leaves and buds of various trees.
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