Pseudochazara amalthea in Crete, Greece

Pseudochazara amalthea, Crete - photo © K. Bormpoudaki

Pseudochazara amalthea

BUTTERFLY INFO

Pseudochazara amalthea is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae on the island of Crete, Greece.

Scientific name

Pseudochazara amalthea (Frivaldszky, 1845)

Common name

Eastern Banded Grayling

Classification

Family: Nymphalidae > Subfamily: Satyrinae > Tribus: Satyrini > Genus: Pseudochazara

Wingspan

Male to female: 45-50 mm

Appearance

On the forewing, the upperside is brown-grey colored in males; there are a white band and two eyespots in the postdiscal area. The underside is similar to the upperside, but it is white-colored with brown-grey near the costa.

On the hindwing, the upperside is similar to the upper side of the forewing; there is a white band, a small mark, and an orange band in the postdiscal area. The underside of the hindwing is grey-brown with a white band and a small mark in the postdiscal area.

Females are generally similar to males, but they have larger marks and on the underside of the hindwing, which is light brown-gray colored, there is a very pale and small band in the postdiscal area. But more importantly, there is an extra, strongly dentate pale line that males lack, which is typical of the Pseudochazara genus.

Behavior

The butterfly rarely opens the wings when resting.

Habitat

Pseudochazara amalthea in Crete lives in dry and rocky areas with sparse vegetation.

Food plant

The larva feeds on Poaceae and Asteraceae (Carduus) plants.

Flight period

The butterfly flies in one generation per year.

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

Remarks

Individuals from Crete are considered as subspecies of Pseudochazara anthelea (P. anthelea ssp amalthea).

The butterfly has a unique appearance in Crete and can’t be confused with other butterflies of the island. It has a limited distribution on the island.