Berberia abdelkader
| Giant grayling | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Berberia |
| Species: | B. abdelkader |
| Binomial name | |
| Berberia abdelkader (Pierret, 1837) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Berberia abdelkader, the giant grayling, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae.[1] It is endemic to the North African region, mainly Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. It flies in the vast steppes and the males are easily seen flying in search of a shy female. Usually, females are fertilised as soon as they hatch.
Subspecies
There are three subspecies of Berberia abdelkader:
- B. a. abdelkader - (Col du Jerada and Oujda in eastern Morocco, Algeria, western Libya
- B. a. nelvai (Seitz, 1911) (Aurès Mountains of Algeria, Moularès Mines of Tunisia)
- B. a. taghzefti (Wyatt, 1952) - (Taghzeft Pass in Morocco)
Flight period
June to October, depending on altitude and locality.
Food plants
Larvae have been recorded on Stipa tenacissima.
References
- ^ "Berberia de Lesse, 1951" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
- Satyrinae of the Western Palearctic
- Michel Tarrier.es: Berberia abdelkader
- Tennent, John, 1996; The Butterflies of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia; ISBN 0-906802-05-9