Charissa subtaurica (Wehrli, 1932)


Charissa subtaurica: Male (Greece, Samos Island, May 2014, Dieter Fritsch legit) [S] Charissa subtaurica: Male (Greece, Samos Island, May 2014, Dieter Fritsch legit) [S] Charissa subtaurica: Male (Greece, Samos Island, May 2014, Dieter Fritsch legit) [S] Charissa subtaurica: Female (Greece, Samos Island, Pyrgos, late June 2016) [N] Charissa subtaurica: Young larva (e.o. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, 2016) [S] Charissa subtaurica: Young larva (e.o. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, 2016) [S] Charissa subtaurica: Young larva (e.o. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, 2016) [S] Charissa subtaurica: Young larva (e.o. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, 2016) [S] Charissa subtaurica: Half-grown larva (e.o. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, 2016) [S] Charissa subtaurica: Half-grown larva (e.o. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, 2016) [S] Charissa subtaurica: Larva (e.o. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, 2016) [S] Charissa subtaurica: Larva (e.o. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, 2016) [S] Charissa subtaurica: Larva (e.o. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, 2016) [S] Charissa subtaurica: Larva (e.o. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, 2016) [S] Charissa subtaurica: Habitat (Samos Island, Kerkis, April 2015) [N]

Host plants:
The larvae feed on rock plants like Euphorbia acanthothamnus or Antirrhinum majus (Fritsch et al. 2014).

Habitat:
Charissa subtaurica inhabits dry and hot, rocky places, garigues and similar habitats.

Life cycle:
The moths occur in two, perhaps also three generations between late March and October. Supposedly the majority (of larvae or pupae?) will enter an estivation dormancy due to summer drought. This has to be examined in the field.

Remarks:
Charissa subtaurica is known from Cyprus and Samos Island. It is possibly also found elsewhere in the East Egean. It is more widespread in Asia Minor, the Levant and the Middle East.

Hints on determination:
The males can be distinguished from the similar Ch. staudingeri by their only very shortly dentate antennae.

Literature:
Fritsch, D., Stangelmaier, G., Top-Jensen, M., Bech, K. (2014): Die nachtaktive Großschmetterlingsfauna von Samos (Griechenland, Östliche Ägäis) (Lepidoptera: Cossoidea, Lasiocampoidea, Bombycoidea, Drepanoidea, Geometroidea, Noctuoidea). — Esperiana, Buchreihe zur Entomologie, Bad Staffelstein, Band 19: 7-101.



Charissa glaucinaria | Charissa intermedia | Charissa obscurata | Charissa pullata | Charissa staudingeri | Charissa variegata