Kirinia climene (Esper, 1783)


Kirinia climene: Male (e.o. Northern Greece) [S] Kirinia climene: Female (Smolikas, Northern Greece, July 2009) [M] Kirinia climene: Ovum [S] Kirinia climene: L1 after hatching (e.o. Smolikas, N-Greece, 2009) [S] Kirinia climene: L1 after feeding start in autumn [S] Kirinia climene: L1-larva after feeding start in autumn [S] Kirinia climene: L1 in the spring [S] Kirinia climene: L2-larva [S] Kirinia climene: Young larva [S] Kirinia climene: L2 dorsal [S] Kirinia climene: L3-larva [S] Kirinia climene: L3 [S] Kirinia climene: Half-grown larva [S] Kirinia climene: Half-grown larva [S] Kirinia climene: Larva in penultimate instar [S] Kirinia climene: Larva in penultimate instar [S] Kirinia climene: Larva [S] Kirinia climene: Larva [S] Kirinia climene: Larva [S] Kirinia climene: Head dorsal (last instar) [S] Kirinia climene: Head lateral (last instar) [S] Kirinia climene: Larva caudal [S] Kirinia climene: Präpupa under a leaf [S] Kirinia climene: Pupa [S] Kirinia climene: Pupa dorsal [S] Kirinia climene: Pupa, basal [S] Kirinia climene: Pupa cranial [S] Kirinia climene: Habitat in the Pindos mountains (Smolikas, July 2009) [N] Kirinia climene: Habitat in the Pindos mountains near mount Smolikas (visible in the background, July 2009) [N]

Host plants:
The caterpillar lives preferably on rather broadleaved grasses at the base of tree trunks or rocks or in other niches.

Habitat:
Kirinia climene inhabits open forests, mesophilic, rocky clearings and pastures, embankments and other special locations in sparse beech or pine forest (species of more open forest gap systems and park-like stocks).

Life cycle:
The caterpillar overwinters mostly in the first instar and grows especially from late April to May. In June, they pupate probably in vegetation near the ground. The moths fly from mid-June to early August, with a peak between early and mid-July. In the Pindos range (Northern Greece) I met females in the Smolikas area in late July 2009. The eggs fall in the vegetation (no adhesive secretion). The L1 caterpillar aestivates without food acceptance. In autumn (September to November) food is consumed, but only modest growth achieved (breeding observation in Central European field conditions on the balcony).

Endangerment factors:
Kirinia climene is threatened by overgrazing in some places. On the other hand, even dense afforestation or succession and infrastructure measures are dangerous.

Remarks:
The distribution ranges from the Balkan Peninsula (locally in southern Albania, Northern Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania?) across Turkey, the Kaukasuus and southern Ukraine to the north of Iran.



Kirinia roxelana