Lycaena candens (Herrich-Schäffer, 1844)


Lycaena candens: Male (Northern Greece, 2100m above sea level, July 2010) [N] Lycaena candens: Male (Northern Greece, 2100m above sea level, July 2010) [N] Lycaena candens: Male (Bulgaria, Rila mountains, 1800m asl, late July 2013) [N] Lycaena candens: Adult (Bulgaria, Rila mountains, 1800m asl, late July 2013) [N] Lycaena candens: Female (Northern Greece, 2100m above sea level, July 2010) [N] Lycaena candens: Female (Northern Greece, 2100m above sea level, July 2010) [N] Lycaena candens: Female (Northern Greece, 2100m above sea level, July 2010) [N] Lycaena candens: Egg (Bulgaria, Rila, late July 2013) [S] Lycaena candens: Ovum [S] Lycaena candens: Young larva (e.o. Rila mountains 2013) [S] Lycaena candens: Young larva [S] Lycaena candens: Half-grown larva (e.o. Rila mountains 2013) [S] Lycaena candens: Half-grown larva [S] Lycaena candens: Larva [S] Lycaena candens: Larva [S] Lycaena candens: Habitat in the northern Greek Mount Voras in above 2000m above sea level, July 2010 [N] Lycaena candens: Habitat in the Bulgarian Rila mountains in late July 2013) [N]

Host plants:
The caterpillar feeds on Rumex species (Rumex acetosa and related species).

Habitat:
Lycaena candens inhabits forest meadows, glades, alpine meadows with mountain streams and sunny slopes from 900m to 2400m above sea level.

Life cycle:
The young caterpillar overwinters and is mature in May or early June. The moths fly from late June to early or mid-August.

Remarks:
Lycaena candens is very similar to Lycaena hippothoe and can be separated only through the genitals. The distribution areas are exclusive, however: Lycaena candens is found only on the southern Balkan Peninsula from southern Serbia across Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria to Central Greece.



Lycaena alciphron | Lycaena dispar | Lycaena helle | Lycaena hippothoe | Lycaena ottomana | Lycaena phlaeas | Lycaena thersamon | Lycaena thetis | Lycaena tityrus | Lycaena virgaureae