Berberia abdelkader

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
	Satyrus Abd-el-Kader Pierret, 1837 ; Satyrus abdelkader (Pierret, 1837) ;

Berberia abdelkader, the giant grayling, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae.^[1] 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

[1] "Berberia de Lesse, 1951" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms

[1]