Eye butterflies are a group of butterflies, mostly medium-sized, usually dull and not colorful, mostly gray-brown, yellow-brown or black-brown, and usually have eye-catching eye-shaped spots on the wings, hence the name Eye Butterfly. Daisy butterfly is a very representative genus of eye butterflies, there are more species, hermaphrodite, medium-sized, there is a column of eye-catching eye-shaped spots on the sub-outer edge of the opposite side of the hindwing, some species have white or yellow-brown markings on the wings, but overall, all kinds of daisy butterflies are more or less with daisy, so Mr. Zhou Yao, a famous entomologist in China, called it Dai-eye butterfly, and the name of the Chinese of Dai-eye Butterfly was quickly accepted by everyone.
The genus is distributed in Asia, and China is its most important distribution area. According to the World Butterfly Taxonomy (2006 edition), there are 114 species in this genus, and according to the "Chinese Butterfly Atlas" (2017 edition), there are 99 species of Chinese butterfly. Due to the large number of species in the genus And the greying of the wings of the vast majority of species, the differences between species are small and have not been paid much attention in the past. In recent decades, with the continuous deepening of scholars' research on the genus Daisy, the Daisy family has grown day by day, adding some new members.
Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi, the mountains are high and densely forested, and there are many types of butterflies. I have been following the Shaanxi butterfly for decades, and it is estimated that there are about 25 species of butterfly here. The larvae of the genus Butterfly mostly feed on bamboo leaves and generally inhabit the forest, with most species occurring in one generation a year and a few species passing several generations a year. Most adults prefer to move in the shadows, with most species of adults shuttling through the forest and a few flying in the treetops. In the Qinling Mountains, from the banks of the Han River at an altitude of several hundred meters to the mountains at an altitude of about 2,000 meters, you can see the traces of the daisy-eyed butterfly. Today we will get to know the members of the Daisy Butterfly family in Qinling.
The butterfly has a medium-sized eye butterfly with a small caudal protrusion on the hindwings. The underside of the wing is dark brown with less pronounced markings, while the ventral surface of the wing is brown, with more fine lines at the base of the hindwings, except for a more pronounced midband. It can be seen in Qinling from April to August, and may be 2 to 3 generations a year.
The white-striped butterfly has a mud-brown on the back of the wings with less pronounced markings, while the ventral surface of the wings is light brown with obvious white stripes. It is found in ecologically good forest areas in June.
The small and medium-sized butterfly of Yunnan Dai-eye butterfly is smaller than that of the white-striped butterfly, and the hindwing tail protrusion is less obvious. The underside of the wing is brown with a less pronounced row of eye-like spots on the sub-outer margin of the hindwings; the ventral surface of the wings is dark brown with distinct silver-white stripes and forks in the hindwings. Occurs in May to June, and is found at higher elevations where the ecology is better. The Yunnan Dai-eye butterfly in Qinling, Shaanxi, was named a new subspecies in 2014.
The small and medium-sized butterfly of the Butterfly is similar in size to the Yunnan Butterfly, with a yellowish brown on the back of the wing, a less obvious eye-like spot on the sub-outer edge of the hindwing, and a small black color on both sides of the lower wing vein of the forewing of the male butterfly; the ventral surface of the wing is tan, the forewing has a milky yellow marking, and the hindwing has dark brown and light brown markings. From July to August, it is found in the mountains of Qinling Mountains at an altitude of about 2000 meters. The Eddée-eyed butterfly is a new species named in 1994.
The small and medium-sized butterfly of Lee's Butterfly is very similar to the Butterfly of The Eye of the Earl, the difference is that the wings of the Butterfly are black, the wings of the Butterfly are red, the sex standard of the male butterfly is located on the four wing veins on the back of the front wing, and the sex standard of the Butterfly is located on both sides of the wing vein. In the wild, a mixture of Lee's butterfly and Erdre's eye butterfly occurs in a coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest belt at an altitude of about 2,000 metres. In terms of habits, the Li's butterfly prefers to stop branches and has a slightly stronger ability to fly, while the Butterfly is more common in wet cliffs and has a slightly weaker ability to fly. Named in 2000 as a subspecies of the Bright-banded Butterfly, it was promoted to a separate species in 2014 and is currently found only in Qinling, Shaanxi.
The black-banded butterfly has a black-brown dorsal surface, and the middle of the dorsal back of the male butterfly's forewing has a large and obvious longitudinal black sexual marker, and the outer side of the sexual standard is slightly serrated. In Qinling Mountains, it is found in forest areas with good ecology from July to August.
The slender black-banded butterfly is a medium-sized butterfly, much like the black-banded butterfly, but the black label on the back of the male's forewings is finer, and the markings on the ventral surface of the wings are slightly different. This is a new species that was only named in 2014 and was found in the good forest area in June in Qinling.
The butterfly has a grey-brown on the back of the wings, and several dark brown sex labels are attached to the middle of the back of the forewings of the male butterfly along each wing vein, extending outward in a pointed tooth shape. The ventral surface of the wing is pale yellowish brown , with several dark brown stripes on the front and back wings. In July, it is found in the forest area with good ecology in Qinling Mountains, and the distribution is relatively limited.
The linden eye butterfly is a medium-sized eye butterfly with gray-brown on the back of the wings and a particularly striking silver-white stripe on the ventral surface of the wings. It is a newly named butterfly in 1993 and is now known to be distributed in Shaanxi and Hubei. In the Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi Province, there are not many of them, and they are found under the dense forests in June.
The odd-veined butterfly is a medium-sized eye butterfly with grey-brown wings. The ventral surface of the wing has a light-colored band that runs through the forewings and hindwings, with dark brown edges. The posterior half of the dorsal back of the male forewing has a dark area, i.e. a flaky sexual marker, which the female does not have, but has a less obvious light-colored oblique band. In the Qinling Mountains, june to July are seen in forest areas with good ecology, mostly under the forest, and the altitude is slightly higher.
The butterfly has medium-sized eye butterflies with grey-brown on the back of the wings, 4 large black eye-like spots on the sub-outer margin of the hindwings, and yellow margins on the periphery. The ventral surface of the wing is pale yellowish grey , with 2 dark lines on the forewings , and 2 dark lines on the hindwings meet near the hip horns. It can be seen from May to October for several generations in 1 year, and unlike other butterflies that are more common in the forest, this can be seen in the low-altitude Tiantou Village of Qinling Mountains.
The male butterfly is medium-sized and has a dark brown underside of the wings. The ventral surface of the wings is pale, with dark areas and dark linear lines, and there are 5 eye-like spots on the outer edge of the forewings. Females are distinctly larger with lighter wings and a white beveled band on the back of the forewings. Found in July and August, the male butterfly is more territorial, prefers to occupy branches, and flies quickly.
The brown butterfly has a grey-brown butterfly with grey-brown undersides and a black sex mark the size of a soybean on the hindwings of the male. The ventral surface of the wing is tan with brownish-red linear lines that run through the foreground wings. It can be seen from May to September in 2 to 3 generations in a year.
Tyrnadine's mid-sized eye butterfly, dark brown on the back of the wing, rounded hindwings, and the outer edge is serrated inconspicuous. The ventral surface of the wing is tan, sometimes purplish , and the front and back wings have dark brown linear markings. Males have a light spot on the dorsal anterior margin of the hindwings and long black hairs on the posterior margin of the ventral surface of the forewings. It can be seen in Qinling from June to September, and it may be more than one generation per year.
The side-striped butterfly has a grey-brown on the back of the wing, and the eye-like spots on the sub-outer edge of the hindwing are more obvious. The ventral surface of the wings is greyish brown and sometimes yellowish. The size and markings are similar to those of the Tenader butterfly, but the male butterfly does not have the light spots and long hairs of the Tenader butterfly, and there is only 1 dark line in the ventral surface of the forewing, while the Tenader eye butterfly has 2. It can be seen in Qinling from June to August, and may be more than one generation in 1 year.
Eight-eyed butterfly medium-sized eye butterfly, the back of the wing gray-brown, the forewing has 2 eye spots, the hindwing has 2 eye spots, that is, there are 8 eye spots on the back of the wing, so it is called the eight-eyed butterfly. In addition to the wired lines on the ventral surface of the wing, the hindwing eye spot area is distinctly grayish-white. In the Qinling Mountains, it is found in July and August, and the male butterflies often occupy the branches and fly quickly when chasing each other.
Flounder butterfly is a medium-sized eye butterfly with grey-brown on the back of the wings and eye spots on the front and back wings. In addition to the eye spots, the ventral surface of the wing has a reticulated pattern at the base of the hindwing. Females have light banded spots on the back of their forewings. In July, it is found in the Qinling Mountains at higher elevations in forest areas.
Pridial-eyed butterfly is a medium-sized butterfly with grey-brown wings. The ventral surface of the wing is reddish brown , the forewings have milky white band markings , and the front and back wings have dark brown linear lines. Males have triangular gray-black areas in the middle of the dorsal forewings and black labels near the hip angles on the dorsal back of the hindwings. Females have distinctly white oblique bands on the back of their forewings. From July to September, it is found in the forest areas of medium and high altitude in the Qinling Mountains.
The Lady of the Blessed Eye Butterfly is a medium-sized eye butterfly with yellow-brown wings on the back of the male butterfly and a dark outer margin. Females have intermittent light-colored beveled bands on the back of their wings. The ventral surface of the hindwing base has more fine purple lines. From August to September, it is found in the forest area of Qinling Mountains at an altitude of 1400-1700 meters, and its distribution is limited.
The purple-threaded butterfly is a medium-sized eye butterfly, similar to the Lady butterfly, but the back of the wings is not yellowish brown, but gray-brown. It occurs in the Qinling Mountains from June to September, and may be more than one generation per year, but the number is very small.
Attentive friends may notice that several daisy butterflies are named in late years. The aforementioned Erdai Eye Butterfly was published by Sugiyama in 1994, the Lin Dai Eye Butterfly was published by Koiwaya in 1993, the Lee's Butterfly was published by Zhao Li in 2000, the Fine Black Ribbon Butterfly and the Yunnan Dai Eye Butterfly Qinling subspecies were named by Huang Hao in 2014, and the Roche Butterfly and The Stay Eye Butterfly were named by Dr. Lang Songyun in 2016. That is to say, at the end of the last century, the study of the genus Qinling Daisy was mainly Japanese, and at the beginning of this century, Chinese scholars are catching up.
Qinling is known as a sanctuary for rare animals and plants, and insect resources are very rich. The 1978 edition of Shaanxi Economic Insect Atlas: Lepidoptera and Butterflies records 180 species of butterflies produced in Shaanxi, and the 2018 publication of Insects of Qinling is a total of 12 volumes, of which 502 species of butterflies are recorded in Qinling, Shaanxi. After the founding of New China, starting from Zhou Yao, Li Chuanlong and other butterfly researchers of the older generation, after several generations of efforts, the family background of Shaanxi Qinling butterflies is gradually being clarified, and the biodiversity of Shaanxi Qinling butterflies is obvious to all.
In order to protect valuable natural resources, Shaanxi has established a number of natural reserves and banned natural forests to protect the qinling butterfly habitat. At the same time, the investigation of butterfly diversity in Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi Has made great progress; research on the biology of butterflies in Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi Province, has quietly begun. It is gratifying that many amateur butterfly lovers actively participate in butterfly research with enthusiasm and have become an important supplement to professional research.
For the protection of butterflies, the protection of habitat is particularly important. Protecting the Qinling Mountains and protecting the ecology of the Qinling Mountains, the diversity of butterflies in the Qinling Mountains can be protected. With the continuous deepening of the study of Qinling butterflies, Qinling butterflies will also bring us surprises.