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Hyponephele lupinus / Oriental Meadow Brown
Ulkonjëza e livdadheve (Ulpina)
Nymphalidae - Satyrinae
Hyponephele lupinus (Costa, 1836). TL: Otranto, Italy.
 
1a. Hyponephele lupinus, distribution map.  Historical data ;  Additional data from the 2018 update ;  New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Hyponephele lupinus ♂ underside. Mali i Thatë, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
Description
♂♂
Medium size butterfly. Fw: 26-28 mm.
Hw: outer margin scalloped.
Ups: yellow-brown gc with brassy basal reflection.
Upf: conspicuous large dark sex-brand, not cut by veins, two blind subapical ocelli, orange-yellow areas limited around the ocelli, small blind apical ocellus.
Uph: unmarked.
Unf: light orange-brown gc, grey marginal border, conspicuous apical white-pupiled ocellus, sometimes blind ocellus in s2.
Unh: light grey-brown gc, fine dark irroration, faint discal band.
♀♀
Slightly larger.
Hw: outer margin scalloped.
Ups: brown gc.
Hw: more pronounced scalloped margin than ♂♂.
Upf: two blind ocelli in s2 and s5, surrounded by pale orange ring and separated by brown gc on v4.
Unh: darker basal area followed by paler band.
Similar species
Life cycle
Adults: single generation from June to early September, ♀♀ aestivate in arid areas.
Egg: short stage.
Caterpillar: overwintering.
Pupa: short stage.
Habitat
Hyponephele lupinus inhabits hot rocky places with scattered bushes from lowland up to 1250 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement modest, population density can be moderate.
Foodplants
Caterpillars feed mainly on Bromus erectus, Festuca ovina, F. rubra, Poa annua and Stipa pennata, also mentioned is Aegilops geniculata.
Butterflies feed on a variety of flowers.
Distribution
Albania: very local (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, Near East, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.
Conservation status
Hyponephele lupinus is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: NE.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.
Useful links
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps
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smaller.
narrow sex-brand.
sex-brand
disrupted by veins.
blind apical ocellus.
orange pd band enclosing ocelli.
one white-pupilled ocellus.
postdiscal area no clear external margin.
outer margin weakly scalloped.
large (variable) orange area.
outer margin scalloped.