Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 20.xii.2023

Limenitis reducta / Southern White Admiral
Admiralja e bardhë e jugut
Nymphalidae - Limenitidinae

Limenitis reducta Staudinger, 1901. TL: Hankynda.

1a. Limenitis reducta, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Limenitis reducta ♂ upperside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Habitat of Limenitis reducta. Shebenik, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Limenitis reducta ♂ upperside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1e. Limenitis reducta ♂ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1f. Limenitis reducta upperside. Albania (© Anila Paparisto)
1g. Limenitis reducta drinking sweat. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1h. Limentis reducta upperside. Mali i Thatë, Albania (© Lulëzim Shuka)

Description
♂♂
Large butterfly. Fw: 23-27 mm.
Ups: blue-black gc, white postdiscal markings, small blue-edged dark submarginal spots.
Upf: conspicuous white cell-spot, white apical spots, irregular white postdiscal spots.
Uph: regular white postdiscal band.
Uns: reddish-brown gc.
Unh: pale grey basal band, broad white central band, single row of small black postdiscal spots.
♀♀
Similar size.

Similar species

Limenitis camilla Ups: black gc. Unh: double row of dark postdiscal spots.   Neptis rivularis Upf: vestigial white stripe in cell. Upf: oblique broad, white pd spots. Uph: single oblique white discal band. Unf: vestigial white strip in cell. Unf: oblique broad, white pd spots. Unh: one white discal band. Neptis sappho Upf: white stripe and triangle in cell. Upf: oblique broad, white pd spots. Uph: two oblique white bands. Unf: white strip in cell. Unf: oblique broad, white pd spots. Unh: two white bands.

Life cycle
Adults: two generations, sometimes third partial generation, from April to October.
Egg: short stage.
Caterpillar: overwintering as L3 larva.
Pupa: short stage.

Habitat
Limenitis reducta inhabits dry and warm stony places with scattered bushes and forest edges, often near river valleys and their surroundings from lowland up to 1600 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement modest, population density can be high, nomadic.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed often on L. xylosteum, also mentioned are L. alpigena, L. caprifolium, L. etrusca, L. implexa, L. japonica, L. periclymenum and Symphoricarpos albus.
Butterflies feed on flowers, often Rubus.

Distribution
Albania: widespread.
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
Europe: IB - IT - ALP - BAL - NWE* - UK - SCA - EEU*
Asia Minor, Near East, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.

Conservation status
Limenitis reducta is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: LC.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.

Useful links
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps

Contact