Tomares ballus
Encyclopedia
The Provence Hairstreak or Cardenillo (Tomares ballus) is a butterfly
of the Lycaenidae
family. It is found on the Iberian Peninsula
, Northern Africa
and along the Mediterranean coast of France
.
The wingspan
is 28–30 mm. The butterfly flies from January to April.
The larvae feed on Astragalus lusitanicus, Medicago
, Dorycnium
, Lotus
and Anthyllis
.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
of the Lycaenidae
Lycaenidae
The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...
family. It is found on the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
, Northern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and along the Mediterranean coast of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 28–30 mm. The butterfly flies from January to April.
The larvae feed on Astragalus lusitanicus, Medicago
Medicago
Medicago is a genus of flowering plants, commonly known as medick or burclover. The name is based on Latin medica 'alfalfa, lucerne,' from 'Median .'...
, Dorycnium
Dorycnium
Dorycnium is a genus of ten species in the pea family, from the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. It is related to Lotus and Tetragonolobus. Both Tetragonolobus and Dorycnium have sometimes been classified as part of Lotus....
, Lotus
Lotus (genus)
Lotus is a genus that includes bird's-foot trefoils and deervetches and contains many dozens of species distributed world-wide. Depending on the taxonomic authority, roughly between 70 and 150 are accepted. Lotus is a genus of legume and its members are adapted to a wide range of habitats, from...
and Anthyllis
Anthyllis
Anthyllis is a genus of plants in the family Fabaceae. This genus contains both herbaceous and shrubby species and is distributed in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The most widespread and familiar species is Kidney Vetch Anthyllis is a genus of plants in the family Fabaceae. This genus...
.