Wall Brown
Lasiommata megera (Linnaeus, 1767)
Status
Description
A medium sized orange-brown butterfly. The upperside is brown with an orangey band on the hindwing with black spots, white pupiled, and another postdiscal orange band. The forewing has a black spot, white pupiled near the wing tip and a broad orangey submarginal band crossed with brown lines. The forewing underside has a black spot, white pupiled, and is orangey-yellow with a brown margin. The hindwing is greyish-brown with a series of fine brown wavy lines, and a set of yellow submarginal spots, with a brown border and a black central spot, white pupiled. It can be confused with Kirinia roxelana, which is larger, and has a small black spot, without a white centre on the forewing. It is however, most similar to L. maera, which is usually larger, and lacking the postdiscal orange band on the hindwing upperside, and has a continuous, rather than a broken post-median brown line.Â
Habitat Requirements
A common and widespread species in all of the good quality shaded maquis, wooded and grassy areas of the island.
Larval Foodplants
Common Bent Agrostis capillaris, Heath False-brome Brachypodium pinnatum, False Brome Brachypodium sylvaticum, Cock's-foot Dactylis glomerata subsp. Hispanica, Yorkshire-fog Holcus lanatus.
Observations
Despite this species' high abundance, it is still only seen as singletons and this is probably because it is quite territorial.
*The information provided in the tables below is based on verified sightings of the Wall Brown submitted via this website since 1st January 2021.
First and Last Sightings
| Year | First | Last/latest | # Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 04/01/2023 | 11/11/2023 | 311 days |
| 2022 | 10/02/2022 | 28/12/2022 | 321 days |
| 2021 | 17/02/2021 | 07/11/2021 | 263 days |
Number of Observations
| Year | Number of observations |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 1136 |
| 2022 | 515 |
| 2021 | 258 |
| Grand Total | 1909 |
Distribution Map
Distribution maps for this species are currently unavailable.Flight Times for the Wall Brown (2023)
The chart below shows flight data by month for 2023
Flight Times for the Wall Brown (All Data)
The chart below shows flight data by month since 1st January 2021
Taxonomy
- Vernacular/Common Name: Wall Brown
- Family: Nymphalidae (Rafinesque, 1815)
- Sub-family: Satyrinae (Boisduval, 1833)
- Tribe: Satyrini (Boisduval, 1833)
- Sub-tribe: Parargina (Tutt, 1896)
- Genus: Lasiommata (Westwood, 1841)
- Species: megera (Linnaeus, 1767)
References
For a list of references, please see our bibliography page.
