Madame Bear Butterfly - a summer wonder by the stream

Butterflies with a thick furry body and motley wings are representatives of the dipper family. In the world there are 11 thousand species. The greatest diversity is noted in South America - 5 thousand species, 150 species of dipper butterflies live in Russia. The unusual name of the family is due to the appearance of the tracks. Their bodies are covered with thick black or brown hairs. The larvae were compared to cubs, and their parents were to bears. Moths have different sizes, the largest are more than 11 cm. In the temperate zone there is a brightly colored butterfly, Madame Bear. It can be found on wet edges, along rivers and streams. In all habitats, the number of insects is reduced. They ended up in the Red Book in Russia and Ukraine.

View description

Madame Bear (Callimorphadominula) belongs to a large family of Lepidoptera - the she-bear. The insect is medium in size, wingspan 45-55 mm. Fore wings black with blue or green tint. They are covered with randomly scattered yellow and white spots of irregular shape. In various individuals, the pattern varies. The hind wings are smaller than the front and are painted in bright red, orange or yellow. Black spots and bandages are located along the edge.

Information. The synonyms of the name are - the female-bear and the female-hostess.

The head is black, eyes are bulging, occupy most of it. Antennae black, filiform. A distinctive feature of the species is the presence of the oral apparatus. Many butterflies of the family do not feed, and the lady-mistress has a developed proboscis, which allows drinking nectar of flowers. In a free state, the organ is folded in a spiral shape.
The body of the imago is thickened, densely covered with hairs. The chest is black, on the back there are two yellow stripes. Abdomen red with a wide longitudinal strip of black. Walking legs are short.

Distribution area

The species is common in the Palaearctic zone. In Europe, lives in a large territory, the northern border is Sweden. It is found in Asia, the Middle East - in Turkey, Iran. In Russia, lives in the central, southwestern, northwestern regions. Butterfly lives in large numbers in the Caucasus. The species is observed in the south of the Ural Mountains.

Lifestyle

Callimorphadominula's favorite habitats are mixed or sparse deciduous forests. They often settle in shrubs, along road ditches, on the banks of a stream. Butterflies are active with the onset of darkness. In the afternoon they hide in moist shady places. But there are exceptions to the rules, sometimes imago can be seen during the day when moths fly over flowers, collecting nectar from umbrella plants.

Years of moths occur in June – July. Species settled, males and females do not spend much time in search of a partner.

After mating, eggs are laid on the main food plants of the caterpillars:

• dioica nettle;
• clover
• buttercup;
• geranium.

There are several subspecies of Callimorphadominula living in Europe and Asia:

• C. d. philippsi - Azerbaijan, north of Iran;
• C. d. Rossica - Caucasus. Transcaucasia
• C. D. persona - Italy.

These are just a few subspecies. Also interesting is the yellow form of the female bear f. flava.

Protective gear

The view is distinguished by weak flight, so catching a moth is not difficult. Moreover, they have not so many natural enemies.This is due to the presence of poison in the body of insects. Hemolymph imago is bitter, not many birds and reptiles like it. There is a protective mechanism not only in adult representatives of the species, but also in larvae. Long and thick hairs are an ornament, and a kind of shield from predators. Even in humans, they can cause an allergic reaction if you scare the caterpillar by picking it up in your hands.

Information. Bright tones in the color of the wings warn the animals about the danger of the lady-mistress to their health.

Breeding

Lepidoptera - insects with complete transformation. Madame Bear gives one generation a year. Caterpillars appear 6-8 days after masonry. At the first age they are light yellow, with a large round head and many hairs on the body. The multivorous offspring, except for the plants listed above, caterpillars prefer to feed on raspberries, blackberries, willow, nettle, honeysuckle, and forget-me-nots.

The adult larva is black and blue with bright yellow longitudinal stripes on the back and sides. The burning hairs on the body of the caterpillar are bundled. Yellow stripes are interrupted by black and white warts. Caterpillars plunge into the winter diapause. They turn into a light, loose cocoon and hide among foliage and plant debris. Pupation occurs in May next year. The pupa is dark brown.

How to save butterflies?

Variegated butterflies Callimorphadominula have become one of the many victims of human activities. Their number is declining everywhere, in some regions they remained in single copies, and were included in the Red Books of the regions as a rare species. Protective measures to preserve the number of insects are taken in 20 regions of the Russian Federation. Madame Bear, a butterfly, is also included in the appendix to the Red Book of Russia.

There are several reasons for the reduction in the number of butterflies:

• Burning grass in the forest-steppe habitat.
• Decrease in the area of ​​biotypes suitable for life and reproduction - raw meadows with herbs, margins.
• Removing fallen leaves in which the insect hibernates.
• Isolation of local populations, which impedes the spread of the species to new territories.
• Cattle grazing, uncontrolled haymaking, direct destruction of butterflies.

Among the protective measures taken to preserve the species, regulation of the recreational load, control of grazing and haying in forest glades. In the habitats of the she-housewife, the regulated use of insecticides is introduced. The identification of new habitats of butterflies and their protection is of great importance.