Butterflies of
Europe
Southern Comma
Polygonia egea
CRAMER, 1775
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
NYMPHALINAE
Tribe - NYMPHALINI
subtribe -
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Southern Comma
Polygonia egea, Croatia
© Peter Bruce-Jones |
Introduction
The genus
Polygonia comprises 14 species, found variously in
North America, Europe, temperate Asia and north Africa. As a genus they are
instantly recognisable by their characteristic ragged wing shape. Most share a
similar upperside pattern of blackish spots on a golden-brown ground colour. On
the undersides they are cryptically marked to resemble dead leaves or tree bark,
and have a central white or silvery mark on the hindwing in the shape of a
comma, question mark or chevron.
There are only 2 species which
occur in Europe - the
Comma Polygonia c-album,
and the Southern Comma P. egea. The former is more
heavily marked, and has a darker underside bearing a distinct comma-shaped mark.
The Southern Comma is found in
south-east France, Italy, most Mediterranean islands, Croatia, Albania, Romania,
Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, and east to Syria, Iran and north-west India.
Southern Comma
Polygonia egea, Croatia
© Peter Bruce-Jones
Habitats
This species is
found in hot, dry rocky areas including steep hillsides, gorges,
archaeological ruins, and rural habitats, most commonly at
altitudes between sea level and about 1000m although it has been
recorded as high as 1700m in the Atlas mountains.
Lifecycle
There is some
doubt as to whether this species produces 2 or 3 broods a year,
and it is possible that it has a complex lifecycle like
c-album, in which some larvae develop
quickly while others develop very slowly, creating a staggered
emergence. Most sightings of fresh adults take place in June or
September-October. Adults flying in October enter into hibernation
at the end of the month, and awaken in February or March of the
following year.
Post-hibernation
adults lay their eggs singly on the leaves of pellitory
Parietaria
officinalis.
The fully grown
larva is blackish dorsally,
with a pair of thin whitish bands between each segment, and a
peppering of tiny white dots on the back. The lower half of the
abdomen, the head, and the double-row of multi-branched spikes
along the back, are a bright rusty-orange colour.
The chrysalis is
typical of the Nymphalinae, being dull in colour but overlaid with
a subtle metallic sheen. It has a double row of short spikes along
the back, and a thoracic keel. It is suspended by the cremaster
beneath a rock or boulder, or within the crevice of an old wall.
Adult behaviour
Males
are territorial and adopt perching positions on rocks, dry paths
or walls which they use as outlooks from which to survey and
intercept passing females.
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