Zygaena viciae (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)


Zygaena viciae: Adult (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [N] Zygaena viciae: Adult (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [N] Zygaena viciae: Adult (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [S] Zygaena viciae: Adult (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [N] Zygaena viciae: Adult [N] Zygaena viciae: Adults, the females occasionally show a small or even larger sixth fleck (eastern Swabian Alb, 2008) [N] Zygaena viciae: Mating (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany, July 2010) [N] Zygaena viciae: Freshly emerged adult [S] Zygaena viciae: Freshly emerged adult [S] Zygaena viciae: Freshly emerged adult [S] Zygaena viciae: Larva in penultimate instar [N] Zygaena viciae: Larva [N] Zygaena viciae: Larva [M] Zygaena viciae: Larva [N] Zygaena viciae: Cocoon [S] Zygaena viciae: Cocoon [S] Zygaena viciae: Habitat in a limestone grassland with Onobrychis and Vicia cracca where also Zygaena loti occurs [N] Zygaena viciae: Habitat in a humid woodland with Lathyrus pratensis where also Zygaena lonicerae, Zygaena osterodensis and Coenonympha hero fly (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany). [N]

Host plants:
The species feeds oligophagously on Fabaceae. In decreasing importance following species are of importance: Lathyrus pratensis, Vicia cracca, Lotus corniculatus, Onobrychis, Trifolium medium, Trifolium montanum etc., rarely Medicago sp.

Habitat:
Zygaena viciae colonizes limestone grasslands, fens, broad forest edges, sometimes ruderal areas and (more nostalgic) also extensive, mesophilic meadows that are only cut once per year. It occurs only singly in xerothermic, nutrient-poor and grazed calcareous grasslands, but may also be very common in more mesophilic, higher growing variants.

Life cycle:
Zygaena viciae has a medium-late flight time especially in July (from late June to mid-August). Fully-grown caterpillars are found from late May to June.

Endangerment: regionally endangered or decreasing

Endangerment factors:
As with Zygaena filipendulae, but Zygaena viciae reacts more sensitively to habitat changes.

Remarks:
The total distribution extends from Northern Spain to Mongolia.



Zygaena alluaudi | Zygaena angelicae | Zygaena anthyllidis | Zygaena brizae | Zygaena carniolica | Zygaena contaminei | Zygaena corsica | Zygaena cynarae | Zygaena ephialtes | Zygaena erythrus | Zygaena exulans | Zygaena fausta | Zygaena filipendulae | Zygaena hilaris | Zygaena ignifera | Zygaena johannae | Zygaena laeta | Zygaena lavandulae | Zygaena lonicerae | Zygaena loti | Zygaena minos | Zygaena nevadensis | Zygaena occitanica | Zygaena orana | Zygaena osterodensis | Zygaena oxytropis | Zygaena punctum | Zygaena purpuralis | Zygaena rhadamanthus | Zygaena romeo | Zygaena rubicundus | Zygaena sarpedon | Zygaena sedi | Zygaena transalpina | Zygaena trifolii