Tarucus balkanicus
| Balkan Pierrot | |
|---|---|
 | |
| From Mersin, Turkey | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Tarucus |
| Species: | T. balkanicus |
| Binomial name | |
| Tarucus balkanicus | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Tarucus balkanicus, the Balkan Pierrot or little tiger blue, is a small butterfly that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family. They inhabit parts of West Africa, East Africa, the Middle East, North Africa, the Balkans, western and parts of central Asia, and arid savanna.[2]
Their larvae feed on the Jerusalem thorn trees and on Ziziphus lotus.[3][4]
Subspecies
[edit]- T. b. balkanicus (Mauritania, Niger: Aïr region, Sudan, Uganda, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Algeria, South East Europe, Asia Minor, Middle East, Syria, Iran, North Africa)
- T. b. areshana Bethune-Baker, [1918] (Kopet-Dagh)
- T. b. alternatus Moore, 1882 (Ghissar, Darvaz)
- T. b. nigra Bethune-Baker, 1918- Black-spotted pierrot (Baluchistan, Saurasthtra, Delhi, Peshawar, Simla Hills, C.India)
Description
[edit]
Underside
[edit]- Tailed.
- White with a prominent black streak from the base of both wings.
- Markings normally black.
- Continuous sub-marginal bands of connected black streaks.
Topside
[edit]- Male: discal spots and spot at cell-end on forewing.
- Mostly dark blue with a narrow border.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tarucus balkanicus.
Wikispecies has information related to Tarucus balkanicus.
- ↑ Tarucus at Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera
- ↑ Afrotropical Butterflies: Lycaenidae - Tribe Polyommatini (part 1)
- ↑ "euroButterflies". 22 June 2026.
- ↑ "Butterflies of Europe". 22 June 2026.
- ↑ Evans, W. H. (1932). The Identification of Indian Butterflies (2nd ed.). Mumbai, India: Bombay Natural History Society.
- ↑ Kehimkar, Isaac (2016). Butterflies of India (2016 ed.). Mumbai: Bombay Natural History Society. ISBN 9789384678012.
Further reading
[edit]- Evans, W.H. (1932) The Identification of Indian Moths. (2nd Ed), Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India
- Gaonkar, Harish (1996) Moths of the Western Ghats, India (including Sri Lanka) - A Biodiversity Assessment of a threatened mountain system. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society.
- Gay, Thomas; Kehimkar, Isaac & Punetha, J.C.(1992) Common Moths of India. WWF-India and Oxford University Press, Mumbai, India.
- Haribal, Meena (1994) Moths of Sikkim Himalaya and their Natural History.
- Kunte, Krushnamegh (2005) Moths of Peninsular India. Universities Press.
- Wynter-Blyth, M.A. (1957) Moths of the Indian Region, Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India.
