Lycaena ottomana (Lefebvre, 1830)

Micevski, Nikola, Franeta, Filip, Gascoigne-Pees, Martin, Micevski, Branko & Verovnik, Rudi, 2015, Butterfly surveys in Albania during 2014 including the discovery of two new species for the country, Ecologica Montenegrina 3, pp. 1-12 : 7

Lycaena ottomana

Two females, one from the site at Kelcyrë the other from Tepelenë , were placed in a netted pot containing Rumex acetosa Linnaeus , brought specifically to Albania by MGP for the purpose of a rearing experiment. Ova were laid on the leaves (a majority on the undersides) and the stems of the plant ( Fig. 3 ). On hatching, L ₁ larvae immediately started to feed on the underside leaves of their host plant ( Fig. 4 ). Once transferred back to the UK the larvae developed rapidly ( Figs. 5-6 ), brought on by the warmth of MGP's conservatory, and pupation took place on 20.VI.2014 ( Fig. 7 ). The first adult, a male, emerged on 30.VI.2014 ( Fig. 8 ), the first female on 7.VII.2014 ( Figs. 10-11 ) .

Figures

Figures 2-10. L. ottomana from Bënçë, 5 km. S of Tepelenë, Gjirokastër county, Albania. Fig. 2: Ova, 26.V.2014. Fig. 3: L1 larvae on Rumex acetosa, 26.V.2014. Fig. 4-5: Final instar larva, 18-20.VI.2014. Fig. 6: Pupa, 20.VI.2014. Fig. 7: Adult ♂, ex ova, 30.VI.2014. Fig. 8: Adult ♂, ex ova, 05.VII.2014. Figs. 9-10: Adult ♀♀, ex ova, 07.VII.2014. (Photographs: Martin Gascoigne-Pees).