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Polygonia c-album

Posted by
Johan Dierckx (Wijnegem, Belgium) on 17 March 2013 in Animal & Insect and Portfolio.

Polygonia c-album (NL: Gehakkelde aurelia / EN: Comma / DE: C-Falter / FR: Robert-le-Diable) is a species of butterfly in the Nymphalidae family. It has a white marking on its underwings in the form of a "c" resembling a comma ("c-album" in the scientific name). The wings have a distinctive ragged edge, apparently a cryptic form as the butterfly resembles a fallen leaf ("Polygonia" in the scientific name: "polus" = many ; "gonia" = angle). Forewings are between 20 and 26 mm. This species can survive the winter in the adult stage, and adults are of two forms. The form that overwinters before reproducing has dark undersides of the wings, whereas the form that develops directly to sexual maturation has lighter colored wing undersides. Both forms can arise from eggs laid by the same female, depending mainly on the photoperiods experienced by the larvae, but also with an influence of host plants, temperature and sex of individuals. Research on this subject is still going on to get a full explannation.


Image: Ranst (BE) - 05/03/2013

Canon EOS 7D 1/320 second F/5.6 ISO 200 150 mm

© Johan Dierckx

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Aubélia from Kortrijk, Belgium

Het is echt een héél mooie foto !!!
Fijne zondag.

17 Mar 2013 8:15am

Ana Lúcia from Leiria, Portugal

Splendid!

17 Mar 2013 11:33am

Canon EOS 7D
1/320 second
F/5.6
ISO 200
150 mm

animalia
arthropoda
insecta
lepidoptera
nymphalidae
polygonia
be