The travelling adventure
of the little buterfly
In the distant year of 1897 the English
entomologist Butler published the determination of a new
butterfly of the Lycaenidae family under the name of
Cacyreus marshalli with unit of Cape Town (Sudafrica),
then yet under British Crown.
This butterfly lived in this zone, feeding itself on the
diverse species of Pelargonium, known here, as plants of
jardineria, under the name of Geranium. Until it makes
few years these small butterflies, between 10 and 15 mm.
of spread, they have been developed solely in the endemic
zone. But at the end of years 80 and to principle of the
90 some South African families, by temos to possible
racist raids against the targets, they abandoned his pais
and they settled down mainly in Europe. They chose the
United Kingdom and Nederland, of where they provenian,
others countries with favorable fiscality like Andorra
and other places of benign climate but like Ibiza, with
all its personal luggage and properties and his you raise
favourites, among them some Pelargoniums who represented
a connection with pais of preceed. It is not necessary to suppose
that in these plants they were carrying of eggs, larvae
or crisa'lidas of the butterfly. As it found sufficient
food in all the balconies, the butterfly settled down
until the point of being object of study of algun technician,
who without having no experièncie of the complex
Lycaenidae family, determined like Lampides boeticus
to it (Linné 1758), especie that is fed on other plants.
In 1991 his was published adcripcion to the European
fauna (Sarto i Monteys).
Later to other localities of the Balearic ones others of
the Peninsula like habitat of the especie have been added.
The first Denia in Alicante. But late Valencia, Castellon
was added to the zone of influence of the butterfly, that
this causing to damage in the flora of balconies and
gardens. Tambien is an appointment of the Prat de
Llobregat. Logroño and Granada were added to the list.
Personally we have found it in Denia (1992), Puçol
(1993), Vinaros (1993), Amposta (1993), Roda de Berà
(1995), the Mèdol (1995), Olivella (1996), Vilanova i
the Geltru (1996), Sant Quini' de Mediona (1996) i
finally the region of the Baix Llobregat, where this year
of 1996, we can find it in all parts, Esplugues (1995),
Cervello, Molins de Rei, Gava', Martorell, Vialdecans,
Abrera, etc.
The commercialization of the nutricia plant has favored
its fast expansion, until the point of which it is possible
to find it in all parts. This demonstrates the fact to it
that day 30 of June, during the work of field in the
Natural Parc of the Cadi-Moixerò, in the zone of the
Cerdanya when arriving at the refuge of Prat d'Aguilo
(6000 fts.) we saw fly a small butterfly that, by its
characteristic flight, we recognized it immediately. Once
captured, the question of how habia arrived us was made
present there. We examined some plants and their rest
demonstrated that habia already to us completed their
there same cycle. With this reasoning we added the fauna
of the park since it has been it of Catalunya for a long
time.
The absence of parasitos in our country has been
published. After multitude of borns in captivity,
gathering crisalides on the verge of eclosion, might to
fully deny it, since we have found two small hymenopteres parasitic, chalcydae,
in material of Denia and Vinaroz. Also we have stated the
custom of the caterpillar that, in situations of high
population density, acquires cannibal customs, eating, an
a others, as much they are crisalides caterpillars or.
The truth is that this small butterfly, its caterpillar,
this exterminating all the plants of garden geranium and
that in short time we will let see in so high number in
the balconies and gardens. It is necessary to add that
the especie also is fed on the native espècies of wild Geranium.
This is the travelling adventure of a especie example of
the colonization of an organism by human causes.
Alfons G. Dolsa and M Teresa Albarran (August 1996)
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A
field Guide as Butterflies of Baix Llobregat
