Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 05.viii.2023

Satyrium w-album / White-letter Hairstreak
Bishtakja e vidhit
Lycaenidae - Theclinae

Satyrium w-album (Knoch, 1782). TL: Leipzig.

1a. Satyrium w-album, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Satyrium w-album underside. Romania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Habitat of Satyrium w-album with Ulmus spec. Romania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Satyrium w-album caterpillar on an Ulmus spec. leaf. Belgium (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1e. Satyrium w-album underside. Romania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)

Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 15-16 mm.
Hw: short tail on v2.
Ups: entirely dark black-brown gc (when fresh)
Upf: small oval sex-brand, otherwise unmarked.
Unf: rarely faint orange mark on anal lobe.
Uns: paler brown gc, firm white postdiscal line on fw and hw.
Unh: W-shaped white postdiscal line, orange submarginal lunules externally bordered by black line, small blue mark, in s2 black marginal spot on the distal side of the orange lunule.
♀♀
Slightly larger.
Hw: longer tail on v2, sometimes small protrusion on v3.
Ups: dark brown gc (when fresh) otherwise similar as ♂♂.
Uns: paler brown gc, marking more expressed 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 pruni Size:slightly smaller Satyrium. Upf: ♂♂ sex-brand. Uph: ♂♂ conspicuous orange sm markings. Unh: large orange sm band. Unh: sm band edged with black spots. 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 mid May to mid August depending on altitude.
Egg: overwintering on a twig, often on a terminal bud.
Caterpillar: 37-78 days.
Pupa: 13-26 days.

Habitat
Satyrium w-album inhabits diverse habitats with Ulmus sp., from isolated trees to woodland edges, ravine forests and aluvial valleys from 200 up to 1500 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement is very modest, population density can be high in in a prominent tree crown.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on flower bud burst and later, when only leaf buds are available, it switches to leafs of different Ulmus sp, most often cited is Ulmus glabra, rarely mentioned is Rhamnus cathartica.
Butterflies feed on honeydew in the crown of a tree and on nectar of flowers in the herb layer, different Umbelliferae and Origanum vulgare.

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, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.

Conservation status
Satyrium w-album is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: VA A1b.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.

Useful links
Bink 2015
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps

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