| Giant grayling | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Berberia |
| Species: | B. abdelkader |
| Binomial name | |
| Berberia abdelkader (Pierret, 1837) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Berberia abdelkader, the giant grayling, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is endemic to the North African region, mainly Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. It flies in the vast steppes and the males are easily seen flying in search of a shy female. Usually, females are fertilised as soon as they hatch.
Subspecies
There are three subspecies of Berberia abdelkader:
- B. a. abdelkader - (Col du Jerada and Oujda in eastern Morocco, Algeria, western Libya
- B. a. nelvai (Seitz, 1911) (Aurès Mountains of Algeria, Moularès Mines of Tunisia)
- B. a. taghzefti (Wyatt, 1952) - (Taghzeft Pass in Morocco)
Flight period
June to October, depending on altitude and locality.
Food plants
Larvae have been recorded on Stipa tenacissima.
References
- "Berberia de Lesse, 1951" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
- Satyrinae of the Western Palearctic
- Michel Tarrier.es: Berberia abdelkader
- Tennent, John, 1996; The Butterflies of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia; ISBN 0-906802-05-9
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Berberia abdelkader | |