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Berberia abdelkader

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Giant grayling
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Berberia
Species:
B. abdelkader
Binomial name
Berberia abdelkader
(Pierret, 1837)
Synonyms
  • Satyrus Abd-el-Kader Pierret, 1837
  • Satyrus abdelkader (Pierret, 1837)

Berberia abdelkader, the giant grayling, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae.[1] It is endemic to the North African region, mainly Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. It flies in the vast steppes and the males are easily seen flying in search of a shy female. Usually, females are fertilised as soon as they hatch.

Subspecies

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There are three subspecies of Berberia abdelkader:

  • B. a. abdelkader - (Col du Jerada and Oujda in eastern Morocco, Algeria, western Libya
  • B. a. nelvai (Seitz, 1911) (Aurès Mountains of Algeria, Moularès Mines of Tunisia)
  • B. a. taghzefti (Wyatt, 1952) - (Taghzeft Pass in Morocco)

Flight period

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June to October, depending on altitude and locality.

Food plants

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Larvae have been recorded on Stipa tenacissima.

References

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  1. ^ "Berberia de Lesse, 1951" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  • Satyrinae of the Western Palearctic
  • Michel Tarrier.es: Berberia abdelkader
  • Tennent, John, 1996; The Butterflies of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia; ISBN 0-906802-05-9