Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Nymphalidae Scientific name Satyrus ferula | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Satyrus Rank Subspecies | |
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Similar Satyrus, Satyrus actaea, Hipparchia fagi, Arethusana arethusa, Bright eyed ringlet | ||
Great sooty satyr butterfly satyrus ferula female
Satyrus ferula, the great sooty satyr, is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family.
Contents
Satyrus ferula serbia
Description
The length of the forewings is 25 to 30 mm. This species shows an evident sexual dimorphism and the males are much more close to each other in appearance than the females. The wings of the males are usually dark brown on both surfaces, while in the female the wings are paler, with broad greyish bands on the under sides of the hindwings. On both sides of the forewings they have two-four black ocelli with white pupils, the first one much larger than the lower ones.
The flight period extends from June to early September and the butterflies lay their eggs on the grass. The larvae are recorded as feeding on various grasses, including Stipa, Festuca, Bromus erectus and Deschampsia caespitosa. (Higgins, Riley, 1982)
Distribution
It is found in South Europe, Morocco, Asia Minor, Iran, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Transbaikal, West China and the Himalayas.
Habitat
This species prefers grassy, rocky areas, calcareous grasslands, forest clearings at an elevation of 400–1,800 metres (1,300–5,900 ft) above sea level (up to 3000m in North Africa).