Charissa intermedia (Wehrli, 1917)


Charissa intermedia: Adult (e.l. Upper Danube Valley, SW-Germany 2011). Contrary to the similar, but whitish gray Charissa pullata this species shows a brownish interspersion and a more distinct emargination of the hind wings. [S] Charissa intermedia: Adult (e.l. Upper Danube Valley, SW-Germany 2011). Contrary to the similar, but whitish gray Charissa pullata this species shows a brownish interspersion and a more distinct emargination of the hind wings. [S] Charissa intermedia: Half-grown larva (Upper Danube Valley, SW-Germany, April 2011) [S] Charissa intermedia: Half-grown larva (Upper Danube Valley, SW-Germany, April 2011) [S] Charissa intermedia: Half-grown larva (Upper Danube Valley, SW-Germany, April 2011) [S] Charissa intermedia: Half-grown larva (Upper Danube Valley, SW-Germany, April 2011) [S] Charissa intermedia: Larva (Upper Danube Valley, SW-Germany, 2011) [S] Charissa intermedia: Larva (Upper Danube Valley, SW-Germany, 2011) [S] Charissa intermedia: Larva (Upper Danube Valley, SW-Germany, 2011) [S] Charissa intermedia: Larva (Upper Danube Valley, SW-Germany, 2011) [S] Charissa intermedia: Larva (Upper Danube Valley, SW-Germany, 2011) [S] Charissa intermedia: Larva (Upper Danube Valley, SW-Germany, 2011) [S] Charissa intermedia: Pupa (e.l. Upper Danube Valley, SW-Germany, 2011) [S] Charissa intermedia: Larval habitat in the Upper Danube Valley: rocks with Potentilla, Hippocrepis u.a. (April 2011) [N]

Host plants:
The caterpillar lives polyphagous on herbs of their habitats, but preferably Fabaceae. I found a caterpillar in the upper Danube valley in a horseshoe vetch-cushion (Hippocrepis comosa) on a rock.

Habitat:
Charissa intermedia inhabits rocky grasslands areas, rocky slopes and old quarries.

Life cycle:
The caterpillar overwinters. I found a still half-grown larva in April 2011. The moths fly from May to early July.

Endangerment: endangered

Endangerment factors:
Main threat is habitat loss due to succession and overshadowing and excessive climbing or overbuilding.

Remarks:
Charissa intermedia is only known from a small area from the Alps (especially Switzerland, Austria, Germany), the Jura (Switzerland, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria), Thuringia and parts of eastern and south-Eastern Europe to Greece.



Charissa glaucinaria | Charissa obscurata | Charissa pullata | Charissa staudingeri | Charissa subtaurica | Charissa variegata