Page 210 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Nymphaliade
DISTRIBUTION North Africa, southern Europe into central Asia, Siberia,
and across China to Korea
HABITAT Dry, chalk grassland slopes with exposed rock outcrops
grazed by sheep
HOST PLANTS Grasses, particularly Festuca ovina, but also other members
of Poaceae family
NOTE Striped, brown caterpillar that is found on grazed grasslands
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but threatened in parts of Europe

ADULT WINGSPAN
1¾–2⅜ in (45–60 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
1⅜–1 ⁄ in (35–40 mm)

CHAZARA BRISEIS
HERMIT
208
(LINNAEUS, 1764)

Hermit caterpillars hatch from conical-shaped, ridged eggs
laid by the female butterfly on grasses, close to the ground,
or sometimes on nearby moss and lichens. The larvae feed on
grass, tending to prefer grazed or trampled tufts, and often they
are active only at night. The caterpillars overwinter while still
in an early instar and become active the following spring. They
pupate in early summer, when their orange-brown pupae can be
found at the base of the host plants.

The brown-and-white adults can be seen in late summer, ying

from July to September. Chazara briseis is in sharp decline
in central Europe due to its dependence on chalk grassland
grazed short by sheep. This type of terrain is disappearing
with the decrease in the traditional management of sheep
by transhumance, in which sheep are moved up to higher
slopes in summer, resulting in longer grass and colonization
by shrub and tree species.

The Hermit caterpillar is brown in appearance
with distinct, dark brown stripes running the
length of the body and ner, paler lines in
between. The stripes of brown are visible also
on the head. The abdomen ends with two small,
backward-pointing horns.
Actual size