Hemaris fuciformis (Linnaeus, 1758)


Hemaris fuciformis: Adult (scales in the predestinate areas already lost after first flight) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Adult (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Adult (freshly emerged, scales still complete) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Adult (freshly emerged, scales still complete) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Adult (freshly emerged, scales still complete) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Adult (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany 2011) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Adult (scales in the predestinate areas already lost after first flight) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Adult (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany 2011) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Adult (Aisa, Spanish west Pyrenees, July 2010) [N] Hemaris fuciformis: Adult (Aisa, Spanish west Pyrenees, July 2010) [N] Hemaris fuciformis: Ovum (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany, late May 2011) [N] Hemaris fuciformis: Ovum (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany, late May 2011) [N] Hemaris fuciformis: L1-larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany, early June 2011) [N] Hemaris fuciformis: L1-larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany, early June 2011) [N] Hemaris fuciformis: L1-larva in moult rest into L2 (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany, early June 2011) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: L1 (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany, in moult rest into L2) [M] Hemaris fuciformis: L2-larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany, early June 2011) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: L3-larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany, early June 2011) [M] Hemaris fuciformis: Young larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [N] Hemaris fuciformis: L3-larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany, June 2011) [M] Hemaris fuciformis: L4-larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany 2011) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: L4-larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany 2011) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany, June 2011) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany 2011) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany 2011) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany 2011) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany 2011) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany 2011) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany 2011) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany 2011) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany 2011) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany 2011) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Larva (Aisa, Westpyrenäen, July 2010) [N] Hemaris fuciformis: Larva, prior to pupation dark discoloured and leaving the plant (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany 2011) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Pupa, typical colour (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Pupa, rarer light form (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [S] Hemaris fuciformis: Larval habitat in a sunny forest edge on the eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany. The species is here accompanied by Zygaena osterodensis (July 2007) [N] Hemaris fuciformis: Typical larval habitat on the eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany: Lonicera-rich forest edge bordering nutrient-poor grassland. If Lonicera bushes occur in the nutrient-poor grassland, they are also used (June 2006). [N]

Host plants:
Lonicera species, particularly Lonicera xylosteum.

Habitat:
Hemaris fuciformis inhabits clearings, forest edges, forest gap systems and shrub-reach areas in grasslands and slopes.

Life cycle:
The caterpillars are generally found on at least partial sunny and low bushes. The moth flies in one generation mostly in May and June (early July), with relatively often a partial second generation with emergence in about August. Hemaris fuciformis visits flowers during the day, such as Ajuga or Echium and can be seen ovipositing in the sunshine: the hovering female curves the abdomen at a leaf of the host plant and attaches an egg to the bottom side.

Endangerment: regionally endangered or decreasing

Endangerment factors:
Hemaris fuciformis is locally endangered due to darkening processes in the forests (dense continuous reforestation, eutrophication, directly adjacent coatless intensive agricultural areas, forest-pasture separation) and on grasslands by sometimes to radical bush removal.

Remarks:
Hemaris fuciformis is still much more common than Hemaris tityus, although the conditions were partially reversed earlier. But Hemaris tityus is dependent on nowadays often almost disappeared grasslands.

The distribution extends from Northwest Africa across most of Europe until well into Asia (Pamir, etc.).



Hemaris croatica | Hemaris tityus