Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 05.viii.2023

Satyrium pruni / Black Hairstreak
Kordelja e zezë
Lycaenidae - Theclinae

Satyrium pruni Linnaeus, 1758). TL: Germany.

1a. Satyrium pruni, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Habitat of Satyrium pruni. Guri i Vashës, Albania (© Laurian Parmentier)
1c. Habitat of Satyrium pruni. Guri i Vashës, Albania (© Laurian Parmentier)
1d. Satyrium pruni upper and underside of the only know specimen from Albania. Guri i Vashës, Albania (© Laurian Parmentier)

Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 15-16 mm.
Hw: short tail on v2.
Ups: dark brown gc (when fresh)
Upf: small oval sex-brand.
Uph: orange submarginal lunules in s1b-s4.
Uns: golden brown gc, white postdiscal line (some bordered with faint black scales) on fw and hw.
Unh: bright orange submarginal band, largest at the anal angle, bordered on both sides with conspicuous black spots, sometimes extending to the fw till s2.
♀♀
Slightly larger.
Hw: short tail on v2.
Ups: dark brown gc (when fresh)
Upf: often with orange discal mark.
Uph: larger orange submarginal lunules in s1b-s4.
Uns: paler golden brown gc, conspicuous white postdiscal line on fw and hw.
Unh: similar as ♂♂.

Similar species

Satyrium acaciae Size:slightly smaller Satyrium. Upf: ♂♂ no sex-brand. Unh: continuous orange sm band  in s1a to s3. Unh: black marginal spot in s2. Unh: small blue mark. Abdomen: ♀♀ black anal tuft. Satyrium ilicis Size:slightly larger Satyrium. Upf: ♂♂ no sex-brand. Uns: gc darker brown. Unh: discontinuous orange sm spots, black bordered on both sides. Satyrium w-album Size:slightly larger Satyrium. Upf: ♂♂ sex-brand. Unh: distinctive w-shaped pd white line. Satyrium spini Size:slightly larger Satyrium. Upf: ♂♂ sex-brand. Uph: ♂♂ round orange sm marking. Unh: distinctive blue mark at anal angle.

Life cycle
Adults: single generation from June to end-July.
Egg: overwintering on a twig of the shrub.
Caterpillar: 23-32 days.
Pupa: short stage.

Habitat
Satyrium pruni inhabits shrub-rich grassland and sheltered meadows surrounded by hedges from 500 up to 1200 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement modest, population density can be moderate.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed mainly on Prunus spinosa but also mentioned are P. domestica, P. mahaleb, P. padus and P. triloba, rarely cited is Rosa canina.
Butterflies feed honeydew on the leaves or nectar of flowers.

Distribution
Albania: recently recorded from one locality (more research needed) 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
Temperate parts of Asia.

Conservation status
Satyrium pruni is not endangered. At the southern limit of its distribution range in the Balkan peninsula.
Albanian Red List: NE.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.

Useful links
Bink 2015
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps
(url) Parmentier L. 2022. Contribution to the Lepidopteran fauna of Albania with a first confirmation of Satyrium pruni (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) present in the country. — Phegea 50(3): 160-163.
(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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