Lulworth skipper  (Thymelicus acteon)

Species information

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Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Authentication

Information authenticated by Butterfly Conservation:

http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/

Glossary

  • Calcareous: containing free calcium carbonate, chalky.
  • Hibernate: a winter survival strategy characteristic of some mammals in which an animal's metabolic rate slows down and a state of deep sleep is attained. Whilst hibernating, animals survive on stored reserves of fat that they have accumulated in summer. In insects, the correct term for hibernation is 'diapause', a temporary pause in development and growth. Any stage of the lifecycle (eggs, larvae, pupae or adults) may enter diapause, which is typically associated with winter.
  • Larvae: stage in an animal's lifecycle after it hatches from the egg. Larvae are typically very different in appearance to adults; they are able to feed and move around but usually are unable to reproduce.
  • Pupation: the process of becoming a pupa, the stage of an insect's development, when huge changes occur that reorganise the larval form into the adult form. In butterflies the pupa is also called a chrysalis.
  • Single-brooded: Also known as ‘univoltine’. Referring to an organism which has just one brood each year.

References

  1. Still, J. (1996) Collins Wild Guide: Butterflies and moths of Britain and Europe.HarperCollins Publishers, London.
  2. Bourn, N.A.D. and Warren, M.S. (1997) Species Action Plan: Lulworth Skipper, Thymelicus Action.Butterfly Conservation, Wareham. Available at: http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/downloads.asp?PageId=73
  3. Asher, J., Warren, M., Fox, R., Harding, P., Jeffcoate, G. and and Jeffcoate, S. (2001) The Millennium Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland.Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  4. Carter, D.J. and Hargreaves, B. (1986) A Field Guide to Caterpillars of Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe.Collins, London.
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