Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 09.i.2025

Hamearis lucina / Duke of Burgundy Fritillary
Luçina
Riodinidae - Riodininae

Hamearis lucina (Linnaeus, 1758). TL: England.

1a. Hamearis lucina, distribution map (09.i.2025). Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Hamearis lucina ♂ upperside. Valbonë, Albania (© Jesper Rasmussen, )
1c. Hamearis lucina ♀ upperside. Albania (© Eddy Oorthuysen)
1d. Habitat of Hamearis lucina. Qarrishtë, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier, )
1e. Hamearis lucina ♀ upperside. Albania (© Marjanne Foppen)
1f. Hamearis lucina ♂ underside. Albania (©Marjanne Foppen)
1g. Hamearis lucina ♂ upperside. Romania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)

Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 14-17 mm.
Chequered fringes.
Ups: darck brown-black gc.
Upf: well-marked small fulvous spots in transverse rows.
Uph: obliterated small fulvous spots by extended dark gc.
Uns: cinnamon-brown gc.
Unh: cinnamon-brown discal and marginal area, conspicuous white basal and postdiscal spots.
♀♀
Slightly larger.
Chequered fringes.
Ups: slightly larger and paler fulvous spots in transverse rows on fw and hw.
Uns: wider white basal and postdiscal spots.

Similar species
None.

Life cycle
Adults: single generation from April to June, rare specimens of a partial summer generation.
Egg: 8-14 days.
Caterpillar: 25-45 days.
Pupa: overwintering in the litter layer, 43-46 weeks.

Habitat
Hamearis lucina inhabits grassland of open forest, forest edges and humid clearings in the forest.
Spatial requirement modest, population density moderate.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed onPrimula elatior, P. veris and P. vulgaris.
Butterflies feed on small flowers and often on Rubus.

Distribution
Albania: very local (more research needed) and at the southern limit of its distribution range in the Balkan peninsula.
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
Europe: IB* - IT - ALP - BAL - NWE - UK* - SCA* - EEU
Not at all presenti in Asia Minor, Near East, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.

Conservation status
Hamearis lucina is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: VU B2a.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.

Useful links
Bink 2015
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps

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