Thymelicus sylvestris (Poda, 1761)


Thymelicus sylvestris: Male (eastern Swabian Alb, July 2013) [N] Thymelicus sylvestris: Male (eastern Swabian Alb, July 2013) [N] Thymelicus sylvestris: Male (Memmingen, S-Germany, July 2013) [N] Thymelicus sylvestris: Adult (eastern Swabian Alb, July 2013) [N] Thymelicus sylvestris: Adult [N] Thymelicus sylvestris: Adult [N] Thymelicus sylvestris: Adult [N] Thymelicus sylvestris: Portrait: light tips of antennae [N] Thymelicus sylvestris: Portrait [N] Thymelicus sylvestris: Adult [N] Thymelicus sylvestris: Larva with feeding pattern (Ticino, May 2006) [N] Thymelicus sylvestris: Larva [M] Thymelicus sylvestris: Larva [S] Thymelicus sylvestris: Larva (eastern Swabian Alb, June 2013) [M] Thymelicus sylvestris: Larva (eastern Swabian Alb, June 2013) [M] Thymelicus sylvestris: Larva (eastern Swabian Alb, June 2013) [M] Thymelicus sylvestris: Larva (eastern Swabian Alb, June 2013) [M] Thymelicus sylvestris: Pupa [S] Thymelicus sylvestris: Habitat in the wet part of the spectrum (wood-near Molinia grassland on the eastern Swabian Alb in Germany, 2007) [N] Thymelicus sylvestris: Habitat on a clearcutting in the forest (eastern Swabian Alb, 2009) [N] Thymelicus sylvestris: Habitat in a dry nutrient-poor limestone habitat on the eastern Swabian Alb (Germany, late July 2006). Here I observed also Thymelicus acteon and Thymelicus lineola. [N]

Host plants:
The larvae feed on grasses such as Brachypodium, Calamagrostis or Molinia.

Habitat:
Thymelicus sylvestris inhabits wetlands, fens, clearcuts, nutrient-poor grasslands and (woodland) fringes. The imago also flies in xerothermic grasslands on limestone, where it is often syntopic with the other two species of Thymelicus.

Life cycle:
The L1-larva is said to hibernate in a cocoon. I observed mature caterpillars numerously in late May and early June. Thymelicus sylvestris tends to be the earliest appearing Thymelicus and flies in Central Europe between mid/late June and early August.

Endangerment factors:
Thymelicus sylvestris is not endangered.

Remarks:
The distribution ranges from Northwest Africa across Europe (except the largest part of Scandinavia) to the Middle East.



Thymelicus acteon | Thymelicus christi | Thymelicus hyrax | Thymelicus lineola