Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 05.viii.2023

Potentially present (PP)
Coenonympha glycerion / Chestnut Heath
Gliceroni
Nymphalidae - Satyrinae

Coenonympha glycerion (Borkhausen, 1788). TL: not stated.

1a. Coenonympha glycerion, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Coenonympha glycerion ♂ underside. SRB (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Coenonympha glycerion ♂ underside. SRB (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Coenonympha glycerion ♂ underside. Romania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)

Note
Evidence for Coenonympha glycerion in Albania is clearly lacking but the species was given a potential status in the last checklist (Cuvelier et al. 2018) because the species is documented from northern MNE (Švara et al. 2015) and nearby NMK (Krpač & Darcemont 2012, Krpač et al. 2013, Micevski & Micevski 2008). It is a single brooded species flying from June to August in flowery, grassy places with scrubs. Biotopes ranging from hot dry to damp localities with Bromus sp. and Poa sp. are suitable.
Research should focus on suitable habitats from NE Albania to Mali i Korabit during the months of June to July.

Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 16-18 mm.
Ups: chestnut brown gc.
Upf: no apical ocellus.
Uph: unmarked, rarely one or two blind submarginal ocelli.
Unf: orange brown, wide pale grey apical border narrow along outer margin.
Unh: grey gc, variable white discal marks in s1c and s4, small orange antemarginal band, ocelli in tawny brown gc not touching the orange marginal band.
♀♀
Slightly larger.
Ups: faint orange antemarginal lines.
Uns: faint orange antemarginal lines, larger ocelli.

Similar species

Coenonympha leander Upf: diffuse darker border. Uph: conspicuous orange area. Uph: black ocelli, sometimes inconspicuous. Unh: ocelli touching the orange marginal band. Unh: metallic antemarginal line. Unh: prominent orange band. Coenonympha pamphilus Upf: narrow distinct grey borders. Upf: apical ocellus. Uph: no ocelli. Unh: obscure small white ocelli (can be lacking) Unh: grey basal area (spring form) Unh: pale yellowish band (summer form) Unh: no metallic antemarginal line. Coenonympha rhodopensis Upf: diffuse pale grey border. Upf: small apical ocellus. Uph: variable ocelli. Unh: greyish basal suffusion, monochrome gc. Unh: variable ocelli. Unh: no metallic antemarginal line.

Life cycle
Adults: single generation from June to July.
Egg: 6-14 days.
Caterpillar: overwintering as L3 larva.
Pupa: 10-19 days.

Habitat
Coenonympha glycerion inhabits warm tall grasslands with scattered bushes and near forest edges from 1000 up to 2000 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement modest, population density high.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on Brachypodium sp., Cynosurus cristatus, Festuca ovina, F. rubra, Phleum pratense and Sieglingia decumbens. Also mentioned are Briza media, Bromus sp., Melica ciliata, Molinia caerulea and Poa trivialis.
Butterflies feed on a large variety of flowers in the herb vegetation.

Distribution
Albania: not recorded 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
Asia Minor*, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.

Conservation status
Coenonympha glycerion is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: NA.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.

Useful links
Bink 2015
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps

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