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Life
Cycle of the Dingy Skipper
OVUM:
The egg is spherical with flattened base and measures c.0.5
mm in height and diameter. Initially pale yellow in colour, soon turning to bright orange as it matures.
Single eggs may be found on the tips of leaflets of Bird's-foot-trefoil from the end of
May to early July.
They are laid on the upper surface of the leaf and hatch within
14 days.
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© DHardiman
2010 |
LARVA:
The fairly stout larva measures up to 20 mm in length, tapering towards
the extremities.
The body is green and sometimes
tinged with brown and has a dark green mediodorsal line.
The head is purplish-black.
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© DHardiman 2002 |
The young larva spins a tent from a few Bird's-foot-trefoil leaves (Lotus
corniculatus) in which it lives and feeds by night. New shelters are constructed as the old ones are consumed and when fully
fed, around mid-August, it constructs a more substantial and larger hibernaculum
in which it overwinters
until the end of
April when it enters pupation without further feeding. This
larval stage lasting c.10 months.
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Bird's-foot-trefoil (Lotus
corniculatus)
© DHardiman 2004 |
Pupa:
Pupation
occurs within the larval hibernaculum to which it is firmly
attached by cremasteral hooks.
This pupal stage continues for c.4-5 weeks.
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Hibernaculum ©DHardiman 2009 |
Adult:
The adult emerges in May and is on the wing from early to mid-May until the end of June.
It rarely visits flowers.
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Dingy skipper, Ahenny Quarry
© DHardiman |
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