Cyclyrius webbianus (Brullé, 1839)

Host plants:
The caterpillars live on Fabaceae species such as Lotus sp. and Teline sp. (e.g. Teline Canariensis).

Habitat:
Cyclyrius webbianus colonizes almost all open and semi-open habitats. I found butterflies on the edge of extensive vineyards on lava fields, in ravines (barrancos) and on ruderal terrain. Most often I observed Cyclyrius webbianus near the coast up to about 500m above sea level, but occasionally also at higher altitudes.

Life cycle:
In coastal areas Cyclyrius webbianus can be observed throughout the year, in the high altitudes from about 1400m above sea level only in the summer months. The caterpillars live well concealed near the ground (Lotus) or higher on the inflorescences (Teline). I observed them commonly in December 2010 at Lotus sp. in La Palma. Pupation takes place in the litter layer or on bark etc.

Endangerment factors:
In principle, Cyclyrius webbianus is endangered only slightly, although significant losses are to be expected due to tourism (housing developments in the lowlands) and agriculture (too intensive monocultures, eg. bananas in La Palma or vine).

Remarks:
Cyclyrius webbianus is endemic to the western Canary Islands (not to Fuerteventura and Lanzarote). It is especially typical for La Palma. In La Gomera, Cyclyrius webbianus is common only in a few years such as in winter 2012/2013. Cyclyrius webbianus is especially common in the early spring in years where early rain falls allowed a fast development already from late autumn.