Nymphalidae : Satyrinae
Gatekeeper
PYRONIA (Pyronia) tithonus (Linnaeus, 1771)
Gatekeeper
PYRONIA (Pyronia) tithonus (Linnaeus, 1771)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Alternative Name: Hedge Brown
Wingspan: Male : Female : 34-38mm
Worldwide Distribution: Central Europe : Southern Europe : Asia Minor : Caucasus : Morocco
UK Distribution: Common and widespread throughout England and Wales and the South coast of Ireland.
UK Conservation Status -
Flight Period: UK-Mid July-End August : Univoltine : Balkans-May-September : Univoltine
Habitat: Tall grassland close to hedges, trees, or scrub : Hedgerows : Woodland Rides : Heathland : Downland.
Ovum: The female deposits the pudding shaped or domed spherical ovum,either on shrubs,leaf blade or simply by dropping them randomly like other members of the "brown" family.They hatch after about three weeks during which time the ovum changes in colour from a pale yellow to white with brown patches, although in the wild they are almost impossible to find..
Larva: The tiny caterpillar eats part of its eggshell before starting the long process of feeding on blades of grass which will take this slow grower eight months to achieve.After the first instar the caterpillar hibernates amongst dead leaves in the grass.The larva appears again in March or April where it continues to feed nocturnally,hiding amongst the grass,head down,during the day.The final instar larva varies in colour between grey-brown and green with darker stripes traversing its length.
Pupa: The chrysalis is formed beneath a blade of grass at the base of a shrub and is almost impossible to find in the wild.The chrysalis which is inailly formed by early June takes three to four weeks to emerge.
Overwinters as: Larva
Observations: The Gatekeeper or Hedge Brown as it is often called, is a butterfly of high summer with its light brown wings and can be found wherever its tall larval food plant grasses abound along with its favourite nectar sources like,Knapweed,Thyme,Marjoram and Carline thistles.
The male can easily be identified from the female with his sex brand markings on the upper side forewings clearly visible as he settles in the sunshine with his wings open.
The subspecies P.t.brittaniae Verity, 1914 represents the population of the British Isles.
Wingspan: Male : Female : 34-38mm
Worldwide Distribution: Central Europe : Southern Europe : Asia Minor : Caucasus : Morocco
UK Distribution: Common and widespread throughout England and Wales and the South coast of Ireland.
UK Conservation Status -
- Least Concern
- Least Concern
- Papilio tithonus (Linnaeus, 1771)
- Pyronia tithone (Hübner, [1819])
- Germany
Flight Period: UK-Mid July-End August : Univoltine : Balkans-May-September : Univoltine
Habitat: Tall grassland close to hedges, trees, or scrub : Hedgerows : Woodland Rides : Heathland : Downland.
Ovum: The female deposits the pudding shaped or domed spherical ovum,either on shrubs,leaf blade or simply by dropping them randomly like other members of the "brown" family.They hatch after about three weeks during which time the ovum changes in colour from a pale yellow to white with brown patches, although in the wild they are almost impossible to find..
Larva: The tiny caterpillar eats part of its eggshell before starting the long process of feeding on blades of grass which will take this slow grower eight months to achieve.After the first instar the caterpillar hibernates amongst dead leaves in the grass.The larva appears again in March or April where it continues to feed nocturnally,hiding amongst the grass,head down,during the day.The final instar larva varies in colour between grey-brown and green with darker stripes traversing its length.
Pupa: The chrysalis is formed beneath a blade of grass at the base of a shrub and is almost impossible to find in the wild.The chrysalis which is inailly formed by early June takes three to four weeks to emerge.
Overwinters as: Larva
Observations: The Gatekeeper or Hedge Brown as it is often called, is a butterfly of high summer with its light brown wings and can be found wherever its tall larval food plant grasses abound along with its favourite nectar sources like,Knapweed,Thyme,Marjoram and Carline thistles.
The male can easily be identified from the female with his sex brand markings on the upper side forewings clearly visible as he settles in the sunshine with his wings open.
The subspecies P.t.brittaniae Verity, 1914 represents the population of the British Isles.
Subspecies
P. t.britanniae Verity, 1914-British Isles
P. t.britanniae Verity, 1914-British Isles
Pathological Variations
Larval Food Plants Worldwide
Note - Plants hyperlinked in red below take the visitor to the relevant plant page on"Plants for a Future" website
where further information like photos,physical
characteristics,habitats,edible uses,medicinal
uses,cultivation,propagation,range,height etc. are clearly listed.
- Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
- Poaceae - Gramineae - True Grasses Family
- Agrostis canina - Brown Bent - Velvet Bent
- Agrostis capillaries - Common Bent Grass
- Agrostis vinealis - Brown Bent
- Brachypodium phoenicoides - Thin Leaf False Brome
- Brachypodium pinnatum - Tor-grass
- Bromus erectus - Upright Brome - Meadow Brome
- Dactylis glomerata - Cock's-foot - Orchard grass
- Elymus reptans - Couch grass
- Festuca ovina - Sheep's fescue
- Lolium perenne - Perennial Ryegrass
- Milium effusum - Wood Millet
- Phleum pratense - Timothy-grass
- Poa annua - Annual Meadow Grass
- Poa nemoralis - Wood Meadow-grass
- Poa trivialis - Rough-stalked meadow-grass
- Cyperaceae - Sedge Family
- Carex caryophyllea - Spring Sedge
Larval Food Plants
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Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Genus: Subgenus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - PYRONIA: Original Species Name: Species Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Forms/Abberations: Subspecies: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Papilionoidea Nymphalidae Satyrinae Maniolini PYRONIA Hübner, 1819 Pyronia Hübner, 1819 Pyronia ( Pyronia ) tithonus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Pyronia tithone (Hübner, [1819]) - PAPILIO tithonus (Linnaeus, 1771) = Epinephele tithonus (Linnaeus, 1771) = Maniola tithonus Linnaeus, 1771 = Pyronia tithone Hübner, 1819 = Epinephele tithonus distincta Rothschild, 1933 = Epinephele tithonus decolorata Fruhstorfer, 1909 = Epinephele bimaculata Gussich, 1917 = Epinephele lesoudiera Le Moult, 1938 = Epinephele lucida Byles, 1940 - Mantissa plantarum altera generum editionis VI. et specierum editionis II. - pp. [1-7], 144-588. Holmiæ. (Salvius) : Title Page : p.537 - Germany - P.t. addenda Leeds, 1950 P.t. albinotica Goodson, 1960 P.t. antipallidula Leeds, 1950 P.t. depupillata Goodson, 1960 P.t. excessa Tutt, 1896 P.t. mincki Seebold, 1892 P.t. multiocellata Oberthür, 1909 P.t. obscurior Schultz, 1928 P.t. pallidemarginata Oberthür, 1909 P.t. postlanceolata Leeds, 1950 P.t. postquadriexcessa Leeds, 1950 P.t. semi-obscura Hosp, 1916 P.t. subalbida Verity, 1904 P.t. unipuncta Tutt, 1910 - P.t.britanniae Verity, 1914-British Isles P.t.tithonus linnaeus, 1758 - Nominate Subspecies |