Euchalcia bellieri (Kirby, 1907)


Euchalcia bellieri: Male (e.l. S-France, Col de la Cayolle, larva in early June 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Male (e.l. S-France, Col de la Cayolle, larva in early June 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Male (e.l. S-France, Col de la Cayolle, larva in early June 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Male (e.l. S-France, Col de la Cayolle, larva in early June 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Male (e.l. S-France, Col de la Cayolle, larva in early June 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Male (e.l. S-France, Col de la Cayolle, larva in early June 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Male (e.l. S-France, Col de la Cayolle, larva in early June 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Male (e.l. S-France, Col de la Cayolle, larva in early June 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Female (e.l. S-France, Col de la Cayolle, larva in early June 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Female (e.l. S-France, Col de la Cayolle, larva in early June 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Female (e.l. S-France, Col de la Cayolle, larva in early June 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Wing detail [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Adult (e.l. S-France 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Young larva (Col de la Cayolle, early June 2015) [M] Euchalcia bellieri: Young larva (Col de la Cayolle, early June 2015) [M] Euchalcia bellieri: Young larva (Col de la Cayolle, early June 2015) [M] Euchalcia bellieri: Young larva (Col de la Cayolle, early June 2015) [M] Euchalcia bellieri: Shelter of a half-grown larva (Col de Vars, early June 2015) [N] Euchalcia bellieri: Half-grown larva (shelter opened, Col de Vars, early June 2015) [M] Euchalcia bellieri: Half-grown larva (shelter opened, Col de Vars, early June 2015) [M] Euchalcia bellieri: Half-grown larva (shelter opened, Col de Vars, early June 2015) [M] Euchalcia bellieri: Half-grown larva (e.l. Col de la Cayolle 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Half-grown larva (e.l. Col de la Cayolle 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Larva in penultimate instar (e.l. Col de la Cayolle 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Larva in penultimate instar (e.l. Col de la Cayolle 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Larva in penultimate instar (e.l. Col de la Cayolle 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Larva in penultimate instar (e.l. Col de la Cayolle 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Larva (e.l. rearing Col de la Cayolle 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Larva (e.l. rearing Col de la Cayolle 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Larva (e.l. rearing Col de Vars 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Larva (e.l. rearing Col de Vars 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Larva (e.l. rearing Col de Vars 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Larva (e.l. rearing Col de Vars 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Larva (e.l. rearing Col de Vars 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Larva (e.l. rearing Col de Vars 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Larva (e.l. rearing Col de Vars 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Larva (e.l. rearing Col de Vars 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Larva (e.l. rearing Col de la Cayolle 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Larva (e.l. rearing Col de Vars 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Cocoon (e.l. rearing Col de Vars 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Pupa (e.l. rearing Col de Vars 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Pupa (e.l. rearing Col de Vars 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Pupa (e.l. rearing Col de Vars 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Pupa (e.l. rearing Col de Vars 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Pupa (e.l. rearing Col de Vars 2015) [S] Euchalcia bellieri: Larval habitat on Col de Vars in early June 2015: sprouting Delphinium with three larval shelters [N] Euchalcia bellieri: Larval habitat on Col de la Cayolle in early June 2015 [N] Euchalcia bellieri: Larval habitat (foreground) on Col de Vars in early June 2015) [N] Euchalcia bellieri: Larval habitat on Col de Vars in early June 2015) [N] Euchalcia bellieri: Larval habitat on Col de la Cayolle in early June 2015 [N] Euchalcia bellieri: Larval habitat on Col de la Cayolle in early June 2015 [N]

Host plants:
Larvae feed on Delphinium dubium. Aconitum lycoctonum, however, never hosted a larva (own observations 2015) despite it was more common.

Habitat:
Euchalcia bellieri inhabits in the first place Alpine bolder fields or humid screes with Delphinium between 1800 and 2800m asl, also along streams, avalanche lines or beneath rocks.

Life cycle:
The larvae develop in mountain spring between May and mid-July. I recorded them still quite small in S-French Alps (Col de la Cayolle, Col de Vars) in altitudes between 2150 and 2350m asl in early June 2015. There are often several larvae on a Delphinium plant with several stems. At both sites Euchalcia variablis is a companion species, but it lives mostly on Aconitum lycoctonum and only rarely on Delphinium. Vice versa, however, no larva of Euchalcia bellieri could be found on Aconitum. Both plants are quite similar at larval time. Thus misidentifications may occur.

Young larvae live in a spun shelter which is most often constructed in the tip of the shoot. Mature larvae live more freely on the plant. Moths occur in July and August.

Endangerment factors:
Euchalcia bellieri is endangered only locally due to its high altitude habitats. Threats are touristic infrastructure measures (e.g. Skiing).

Remarks:
Euchalcia bellieri is endemic to the SW-Alps (SE-France, locally also in NW-Italy).



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