Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 05.viii.2023

Minois dryas / Dryad
Driada
Nymphalidae - Satyrinae

Minois dryas (Scopoli, 1763). TL: Carniola, Slovenia.

1a. Minois dryas, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Minois dryas ♂ underside. Italy (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Minois dryas ♂ underside. Italy (© Sylvain Cuvelier)

Description
♂♂
Large butterfly. Fw: 27-30 mm.
Ups: dark brown-black gc.
Upf: blue-pupilled ocelli in s2 and s5.
Uph: rarely a small ocellus in 2, otherwise unmarked.
Uns: dark brown-black gc.
Unh: almost unmarked, sometimes vestigial ocellus in s2.
♀♀
Larger.
Ups: dark brown-black gc.
Upf: larger blue-pupilled ocelli.
Uph: similar as ♂♂.
Uns: paler brown gc, otherwise similar as ups.

Similar species

Satyrus ferula Size:similar. Upf: two white-pupilled ocelli in s2 and s5. Upf: ♂♂ often additional white dots. Upf: ♀♀ additional white dots in orange band. Uph: ♀♀ pale orange band. Unf: two white-pupilled ocelli in s2 and s5. Unf: ♂♂ additional white dots. Unf: ♀♀ additional white dots. Unh: ♂♂ pale postdiscal band. Unh: ♀♀ yellow-brown gc. .

Life cycle
Adults: single generation from June to August.
Egg: short stage.
Caterpillar: overwintering as small larva.
Pupa: short stage.

Habitat
Minois dryas inhabits high grasslands in warm localities with scattered bushes and trees, often near natural lakes and slowly running water from 200 up to 1500 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement considerable, population density can be moderate.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed mainly on Molinia caerulea and Bromus erectus, also mentioned are Arrhenatherum elatius, Avena fatua, Avenula pubescens, Brachypodium pinnatum, Briza media, Calamagrostis epigejos, C. varia, Carex actua, C. acutiformis, C. caryophyllea, C. panicea, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca ovina, F. rubra, Koeleria macrantha, L. perenne and Phragmites australis.
Butterflies feed on a large variety of flowers.

Distribution
Albania: only old records (more research needed)
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
Europe: IB* - IT* - ALP - BAL - NWE* - UK - SCA - EEU*
Asia Minor*, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.

Conservation status
Minois dryas is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: VU.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: NA.

Useful links
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps

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