New Forest burnet  (Zygaena viciae argyllensis)

Information authenticated by Dr Mark Young of Aberdeen University
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/biologicalsci/ with the support of the British Ecological Society
http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/

• Abdomen: in arthropods (crustaceans, insects and arachnids) the abdomen is the hind region of the body, which is usually segmented to a degree (but not visibly in most spiders). In crustacea (e.g. crabs) some of the limbs attach to the abdomen; in insects the limbs are attached to the thorax (the part of the body nearest to the head) and not the abdomen. In vertebrates the abdomen is the part of the body that contains the internal organs (except the heart and lungs).
• Endemic: a species or taxonomic group that is only found in one particular country or geographic area.
• 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’). Insect life cycle that takes 12 months to be complete, and involves a single generation. The egg, larva, pupa or adult over winters as a dormant stage.
• Subspecies: a population usually restricted to a geographical area that differs from other populations of the same species, but not to the extent of being classified as a separate species.
• Thorax: part of the body located near the head in animals. In insects, the three segments between the head and the abdomen, each of which has a pair of legs.

1. NBN Species Dictionary. (Feb 2003). Available on-line from: http://nbn.nhm.ac.uk/nhm/
2. Young, M (2004) Pers. comm.
3. UK BAP Species Action Plan for Zygaena viciae argyllensis. (November 2003): www.ukbap.org.uk
4. Skinner, B. (1984) Colour identification guide to the moths of the British Isles. Penguin Books, Harmondsworth.