Libythea celtis

{{Short description|Species of butterfly}}

{{Expand German|topic=scitech|Libythea celtis|ga=yes|date=September 2022}}

{{Italic title}}

{{Speciesbox

| name = European beak

| image = Libythea celtis03.jpg

| image_caption = France

| image2 = Nettle tree (Libythea celtis) Bulgaria.jpg

| image2_caption = on mint, Bulgaria

| taxon = Libythea celtis

| authority = (Laicharting, 1782)

}}

Libythea celtis, the European beak or nettle-tree butterfly, is a butterfly of the Libytheinae group of the brush-footed butterflies family.

Description

{{Entomology glossary hatnote}}

The upperside ground colour is rich silky brown. The forewing has the cell filled with a broad orange-yellow streak which is subapically deeply indented above; a small discal orange-yellow spot present in interspace 1; a much larger, similarly coloured discal spot between veins 2 and 4, on the inner side touching the cell between veins 3 and 4; a subcostal white preapical spot and a quadrate double spot in interspaces 4 and 5, placed obliquely forward to the subcostal spot; this spot whitish above, orange below. Hindwing uniform, with an irregular curved, transverse, upper postdiscal orange patch extending from just below vein 3 to interspace 6, the portion in interspace 6 often detached. Underside ground colour: forewing brown, apex pale purplish irrorated (sprinkled) with minute dark transverse striae and dots, orange markings as on the upperside but paler; hindwing uniform pale purplish irrorated with minute dark dots and transverse striae. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen dark brown; beneath, palpi, thorax and abdomen concolorous with the tint of the underside of the hindwing.{{cite book |last1=Bingham |first1=C.T. |authorlink=Charles Thomas Bingham |title=The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma Butterflies |volume=1 |edition=1st |publisher= Taylor and Francis, Ltd. |location=London |year=1905 }}

Libythea celtis MHNT CUT 2013 19 Chateauvert Dos.jpg|Dorsal side

Libythea celtis MHNT CUT 2013 19 Chateauvert Ventre.jpg|Ventral side

Range

Its range is southern Europe, Asia Minor, Central Asia and the Chitral ranges of Pakistan.

Biology

The larva feeds on Celtis australis.

References

{{Reflist}}