Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 15.iv.2024

Kirinia climene / Lesser Latice Brown
Klimenja
Nymphalidae - Satyrinae

Kirinia climene (Esper, [1783]). TL: Wolga, Russia.

1a. Kirinia climene distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Kirinia climene ♀ underside. Mali i Thatë, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Habitat of Kirinia climene. Mali i Thatë, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Kirinia climene ♂ underside. Mali i Thatë, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1e. Kirinia climene ♂ underside. Mali i Thatë, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)

Description
♂♂
Medium size butterfly. Fw: 23-28 mm.
Ups: dark brown gc.
Upf: large fulvous discal area, weak androconial patch along v1, small blind apical ocellus (sometimes absent)
Uph: fulvous postdiscal band enclosing blind dark ocelli.
Unf: paler gc, grey apex and outer margin, small white-pupiled apical ocellus.
Unh: pale grey-brown gc, conspicuous ocelli (some slightly white-pupiled)
♀♀
Larger.
Upf: paler discal area, yellowish costal and apical spots, small blind apical ocellus.
Uph: rarely vestigial fulvous postdiscal band, hardly visible ocelli if present.
Unf: paler discal area, pale yellowish costal and apical spots, small blind apical ocellus.
Uph: paler grey gc, smaller blind ocelli.

Similar species

Kirinia roxelana Size:larger. Upf: ♂♂ conspicuous sex-brand. Upf: ♂♂ curved vein. Uph: ♂♂ weakly marked ocelli. Uph: no orange band enclosing the ocelli. Unh: discal area clearly marked on both sides by irregular dark lines Unh: conspicuous white-pupilled sm ocelli. Unh: double-ringed ocelli.

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

Habitat
Kirinia climene inhabits warm and dry tall grasslands in deciduous forest and areas with scattered bushes from 700 up to 1700 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement modest, population density can be high.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on Poa annua and P. nemoralis.
Butterflies rarely feed on flowers and fluid from wounds of trees, often found sitting in low and well-shaded bushes, rarely flying unless disturbed.

Distribution
Albania: recently confirmed from Mali i Thatë. Confirmation of old record near Krumë from Rebel & Zerny (1931) and more research are 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
Kirinia climene is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: NE.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.

Useful links
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
euroButterflies
(url) Cuvelier S., Parmentier L., Qirinxhki X. & Paparisto A. 2023. Butterflies of Albania new data and going online. Fluturatat e Shqipërisë të dhëna të reja dhe faqja online (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) — Buletini i Shkencave te Natyres, Tirana university. 32(2022): 5-31.

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