Nymphalidae : Satyrinae
Grayling
HIPPARCHIA (Parahipparchia) semele (Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies
H.s.thyone (Thompson, 1944) - W side of Great Ormes Head-N Wales
H.s.scota (Verity, 1911) - coastal Scotland,not Western Isles
H.s.atlantica (Harrison, 1946) - N W Sotland
H.s.hibernica Howarth, 1971-throughout Ireland-not Burren
H.s.clarensis Lattin, 1952-Burren-Ireland
Grayling
HIPPARCHIA (Parahipparchia) semele (Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies
H.s.thyone (Thompson, 1944) - W side of Great Ormes Head-N Wales
H.s.scota (Verity, 1911) - coastal Scotland,not Western Isles
H.s.atlantica (Harrison, 1946) - N W Sotland
H.s.hibernica Howarth, 1971-throughout Ireland-not Burren
H.s.clarensis Lattin, 1952-Burren-Ireland
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Alternative Name: Rock Grayling
Wingspan: Male : 41-50mm : Female : 43-59mm
Worldwide Distribution: West and Central Europe : Not South-West Iberian Peninsula : Central and North Fennoscandia : Baleares : Corsica : Sardinia : South Balkans
UK Distribution: Widespread on coasts of Britain and Ireland : Heathland in Southern England
UK Conservation Status -
Flight Period: UK-July-September-Univoltine : South of range-Early June-September-Univoltine
Habitat: Coastal on dunes : Saltmarsh : Undercliffs and clifftops : Inland-Heathland : Old Quarries : Open Woodland on stoney ground : Derelict industrial sites
Ovum: To watch the female depositing her ova is fascinating indeed. In an area which had small patches of Heather in amongst areas of Sheeps Fescue growing on bare ground, during the day, I watched a female depositing single ovum on or near the food plant by contorting her body almost 180˚forwards as shown in the photos below. She moved swiftly,but decisively carefully deciding on which plant to deposited the ovum never moving more than the area of a four metre circle.The site was beside a fir plantation that had been felled and naturally re-seeded two years previously.(See notes under "ovum" below) As the tree have grown the Graylings have now sadly disappeared.
The single ovum is white,pudding shaped with vertical ribs running from top to bottom,making it look like some architectural structure.The egg hatches in ten to twenty days.
Larva: The young caterpillar feeds on the tips of the grass before two instars later it settles in the tussock of grass to hibernate.The following spring the larva continues to feed and reaching the final instar,feeds only at night,hiding back in its tussock during the day.
Pupa: The reddish brown chrysalis is formed in a silk cell just below ground.
Overwinters as: Early stage larva
Observations: Following the masterful Grayling can be very frustrating for,although it is relatively easy to see in flight when it settles it is almost impossible to locate due to the cryptic coloration that gives camouflage to this butterfly against the background as it settles on the ground,stones or on a tree trunk.
Always settling with its wings closed it does briefly expose the forewing underside black eyes before closing the wings again.See photos 1 & 3. It is thought this is action may startle any predator,especially bird,and would entice it to go for the eyes on the wing leaving the butterfly with only a proportion of wing missing, rather than attacking the butterflies' body.
Another fascinating highlight of the Grayling is its eyes which have parallel black stripes running the full length of the eye.See photo 4
The Grayling seems to nectar far less than other butterflies, but can be seen feeding from oozing conifer sap or from muddy puddles.
Males are territorial and tend to perch in the sunshine on paths or tree trunks waiting for passing females. Any passing insect is duly investigated by the male and should a receptive female be located then the following courtship display will follow.
The male flaps his wings and folds them so the female can draw her antennae over the scent glands located on his forewings before mating takes place.
Wingspan: Male : 41-50mm : Female : 43-59mm
Worldwide Distribution: West and Central Europe : Not South-West Iberian Peninsula : Central and North Fennoscandia : Baleares : Corsica : Sardinia : South Balkans
UK Distribution: Widespread on coasts of Britain and Ireland : Heathland in Southern England
UK Conservation Status -
- NERC S.41 : 2008 (England) & NERC S.42 : 2009 (Wales) - Species "of principle importance for the purpose of conserving biodiversity
- Northern Ireland - Priority Species : 2010
- BAP : 2007 - Priority Species
- Vulnerable - Butterfly Red List for Great Britain 2010
- Least Concern
- Papilio semele (Linnaeus 1758)
- Papilo hermione (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Sweden
Flight Period: UK-July-September-Univoltine : South of range-Early June-September-Univoltine
Habitat: Coastal on dunes : Saltmarsh : Undercliffs and clifftops : Inland-Heathland : Old Quarries : Open Woodland on stoney ground : Derelict industrial sites
Ovum: To watch the female depositing her ova is fascinating indeed. In an area which had small patches of Heather in amongst areas of Sheeps Fescue growing on bare ground, during the day, I watched a female depositing single ovum on or near the food plant by contorting her body almost 180˚forwards as shown in the photos below. She moved swiftly,but decisively carefully deciding on which plant to deposited the ovum never moving more than the area of a four metre circle.The site was beside a fir plantation that had been felled and naturally re-seeded two years previously.(See notes under "ovum" below) As the tree have grown the Graylings have now sadly disappeared.
The single ovum is white,pudding shaped with vertical ribs running from top to bottom,making it look like some architectural structure.The egg hatches in ten to twenty days.
Larva: The young caterpillar feeds on the tips of the grass before two instars later it settles in the tussock of grass to hibernate.The following spring the larva continues to feed and reaching the final instar,feeds only at night,hiding back in its tussock during the day.
Pupa: The reddish brown chrysalis is formed in a silk cell just below ground.
Overwinters as: Early stage larva
Observations: Following the masterful Grayling can be very frustrating for,although it is relatively easy to see in flight when it settles it is almost impossible to locate due to the cryptic coloration that gives camouflage to this butterfly against the background as it settles on the ground,stones or on a tree trunk.
Always settling with its wings closed it does briefly expose the forewing underside black eyes before closing the wings again.See photos 1 & 3. It is thought this is action may startle any predator,especially bird,and would entice it to go for the eyes on the wing leaving the butterfly with only a proportion of wing missing, rather than attacking the butterflies' body.
Another fascinating highlight of the Grayling is its eyes which have parallel black stripes running the full length of the eye.See photo 4
The Grayling seems to nectar far less than other butterflies, but can be seen feeding from oozing conifer sap or from muddy puddles.
Males are territorial and tend to perch in the sunshine on paths or tree trunks waiting for passing females. Any passing insect is duly investigated by the male and should a receptive female be located then the following courtship display will follow.
The male flaps his wings and folds them so the female can draw her antennae over the scent glands located on his forewings before mating takes place.
Subspecies
H. s.semele (Linnaeus, 1758) - England,Wales,Isle of Man & Channel Isles-Not Ireland or Scotland or (Sicily-H. s.wilkinsoni )
H. s.semele (Linnaeus, 1758) - England,Wales,Isle of Man & Channel Isles-Not Ireland or Scotland or (Sicily-H. s.wilkinsoni )
Typical Habitat
Ovum
I watched the above ovapositing female on a very small site in north Hampshire in Southern England which was basically a path with young conifers on one side and mature Birch on the other.
The path was relatively hard with interlaced Heather,rotting conifer vegetation, and on the side with conifers, Sheep's Fescue and Moss were growing.
The female flew low over the area as if checking on the available larval food plant before stopping to deposit an ova.
She would land facing the chosen blade of grass and with her weight supported by her forelegs she would contort her abdomen to an almost incredible 180˚ forewards before depositing a single ova on a blade of grass. See photos 6-8 above
In the time I watched the female she deposited about six ovum in an area of about four square metres before moving off,presumably to continue with her life's work.
Some of the ovum are shown in the series of photos below and others were so well hidden I was not able to find them again.
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 curtisii - Bristle Bent
- Aira praecox - Early Hair-grass
- Ammophila arenaria - Marram Grass
- Arrhenatherum elatius - False oat-grass - Tall meadow oat
- Brachypodium phoenicoides - Thin Leaf False Brome
- Brachypodium retusum - Mediterranean False Brome
- Briza media - Quaking Grass
- Bromus erectus - Upright Brome - Meadow Brome
- Calamagrostis stricta - Slim-stem Reed Grass
- Corynephorus canescens - Grey hair-grass
- Dactylis glomerata - Cock's-foot - Orchard grass
- Deschampsia cespitosa - Tufted hair-grass - Tussock grass
- Elymus reptans - Couch grass
- Festuca elegans - Elegant Fescue
- Festuca ovina - Sheep's fescue
- Festuca rubra - Red Fescue - Creeping Red Fescue
- Leymus arenarius - Lyme Grass
- Lolium perenne - Perennial Ryegrass
- Phleum phleoides - Boehmer's Cats-tail - Purple-stem Cats-tail
- Poa annua - Annual Meadow Grass
- Poa pratensis - Smooth Meadow-grass
- Stipa gigantea - Golden Oats
- Stipa offneri - No Common Name
- Stipa parviflora - No Common Name
- Stipa pennata - Feather Grass
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
- Poaceae - Gramineae - Triticum - Wheat etc
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
Larval Food Plants
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Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Subtribe: Genus: Subgenus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - HIPPARCHIA: Original Species Name: Species Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Forms/Aberrations: Subspecies: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Papilionoidea Nymphalidae Satyrinae Satyrini Satyrina HIPPARCHIA Fabricius, 1807 Parahipparchia Kudrna 1977 Hipparchia ( Parahipparchia ) semele (Linnaeus, 1758) - Papilio hermione (Linnaeus, 1758) - PAPILIO semele (Linnaeus 1758) = Hipparchia eumenis Hübner 1819 = Satyrus cadmus Fruhstorfer 1908 = Semele angliae Verity, 1924 = Hipparchia angliae Verity 1924 = Hipparchia monocellata Lempke, 1957 = Hipparchia parvocellata Lempke, 1957 = Parahipparchia Kudrna 1977 = Hipparchia wilkinsoni Kudrna 1977 - Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.474 n.101 - Sweden - H.s. holanops Brouwer, 1935 H.s. monocellata Lempke, 1957 H.s. sabrinae Heslop, 1962 H.s. tripuncta Tutt, 1910 - H.s.semele Linnaeus, 1758-England,Wales,Isle of Man & Channel Isles-Not Ireland or Scotland or Sicily H.s.thyone Thompson, 1944-W side of Great Ormes Head-N Wales H.s.scota Verity, 1911-coastal Scotland,not Western Isles H.s.atlantica Harrison, 1946-N W Sotland H.s.hibernica Howarth, 1971-throughout Ireland-not Burren H.s.clarensis Lattin, 1952-Burren-Ireland H.s.wilkinsoni Kudrna, 1977-Sicily |