''Aglais ichnusa'' is a small
butterfly
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...
found in the
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa.
The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...
that belongs to the
browns family. It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to
Corsica
Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
and
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...
.
Description from Seitz
— ichnusa Bon. (62f ) is distinguished particularly by the less angulate wings, the deeper red ground-colour, and usually by the absence of the discal and hindmarginal spots of the forewing. Closely allied to the following race
Aglais_urticae_turcica''_(Staudinger,_1871).html" ;"title="Small tortoiseshell">Aglais urticae turcica'' (Staudinger, 1871)">Small tortoiseshell">Aglais urticae turcica'' (Staudinger, 1871) transitions from the nymotypical subspecies to ''ichnusa'' occur in the southern districts of the latter. Sardinia, Corsica.
Food plants
Larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
The ...
e of ''Aglais ichnusa'' feed on ''
Urtica atrovirens
''Urtica'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Urticaceae. Many species have stinging hairs and may be called nettles or stinging nettles, although the latter name applies particularly to ''Urtica dioica''.
''Urtica'' species are food f ...
'' and ''
Urtica dioica
''Urtica dioica'', often known as common nettle, burn nettle, stinging nettle (although not all plants of this species sting) or nettle leaf, or just a nettle or stinger, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Urticaceae. Ori ...
''.
See also
*
List of butterflies of Europe
This is a list of the 473 butterfly species which are found in Europe ''sensu lato'' (including Russia west of the Urals and the Caucasus region). Europe forms the western part of the Palearctic biogeographical zone and includes:
*Euro-Siberian re ...
References
Nymphalini
Butterflies described in 1826
{{Nymphalidae-stub