Medioluto norteña
Melanargia galathea
Mariposa
La medioluto norteña (Melanargia galathea) es una mariposa de tamaño medio de la familia Nymphalidae, subfamilia Satyrinae -una de las «satirinas» pese a su llamativo diseño alar ajedrezado en blanco y negro-. Los adultos vuelan de finales de junio a principios de septiembre por pastizales ricos en flores, prados calizos y praderas de casi toda Europa, el norte de África y el oeste de Asia. Ambos sexos liban abundantemente y muestran una marcada preferencia por las plantas de flores moradas, como centáureas, cardos y escabiosas. Las orugas se alimentan de noche de gramíneas finas, sobre todo festucas (Festuca spp.) y dáctilo (Dactylis glomerata), por lo que los pastizales no mejorados con una mezcla de flores silvestres y gramíneas altas son su hábitat ideal de jardín o pradera.
Plan para esta especie
Conjunto de plantas aptas para Chicago, IL: primero plantas hospedantes y especialistas, luego plantas de néctar, fruto, semilla, follaje y refugio que también encajan con la lectura climática actual y de mediados de siglo.
2 relaciones esenciales / 2 plantas de apoyo
Enlaces hospedador/especialista: 2
Enlaces forraje/polinización: 2
Enlaces de refugio: 0
Roles de relación: 2
Festuca roja
Esencial / Plantas hospedantes de larvas
Melanargia galathea larvae feed nocturnally on fine grasses, and this catalog record for the marbled white names fescues (Festuca spp.) as the principal host alongside cocksfoot. Marked plausible rather than documented because that host statement is at GENUS level: none of the sources cited on this plant record names Festuca rubra specifically. The guidance is unaffected either way, and it is the reason to leave part of a fescue sward unmown - a lawn cut every week is a host plant that never carries an egg through to pupation.
Cañuela de oveja
Esencial / Plantas hospedantes de larvas
Marked plausible rather than documented, and the distinction is real. Wikipedia's list of caterpillars on Festuca ovina does not include the marbled white; what supports the entry is this catalogue's own marbled white record, which gives fescues (Festuca spp.) as the principal larval foodplants, together with the fact that the butterfly is a specialist of unimproved flower-rich grassland where sheep fescue is a defining component. Red fescue is the fescue most often named for this butterfly, so read the entry as genus-level rather than species-level evidence. Three further species named on Wikipedia have no entry in this wildlife catalogue and are recorded here in prose instead of being wired: the small heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), the grayling (Hipparchia semele) and the grass moth Agriphila inquinatella.
Escabiosa de los prados
De apoyo / Plantas de néctar
Field scabious is a documented favourite adult nectar source for the marbled white in unimproved grassland.
Aciano
De apoyo / Plantas de néctar
The butterfly has a strong genus-level preference for Centaurea (knapweeds); cornflower is a plausible same-genus nectar source.
Plantas en el catálogo
Plantas hospedantes de larvas · 2
Melanargia galathea larvae feed nocturnally on fine grasses, and this catalog record for the marbled white names fescues (Festuca spp.) as the principal host alongside cocksfoot. Marked plausible rather than documented because that host statement is at GENUS level: none of the sources cited on this plant record names Festuca rubra specifically. The guidance is unaffected either way, and it is the reason to leave part of a fescue sward unmown - a lawn cut every week is a host plant that never carries an egg through to pupation.
Marked plausible rather than documented, and the distinction is real. Wikipedia's list of caterpillars on Festuca ovina does not include the marbled white; what supports the entry is this catalogue's own marbled white record, which gives fescues (Festuca spp.) as the principal larval foodplants, together with the fact that the butterfly is a specialist of unimproved flower-rich grassland where sheep fescue is a defining component. Red fescue is the fescue most often named for this butterfly, so read the entry as genus-level rather than species-level evidence. Three further species named on Wikipedia have no entry in this wildlife catalogue and are recorded here in prose instead of being wired: the small heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), the grayling (Hipparchia semele) and the grass moth Agriphila inquinatella.
Plantas de néctar · 2
The butterfly has a strong genus-level preference for Centaurea (knapweeds); cornflower is a plausible same-genus nectar source.
Field scabious is a documented favourite adult nectar source for the marbled white in unimproved grassland.
Distribución
Presente en casi toda Europa, salvo en Irlanda, el norte de Gran Bretaña, Escandinavia (excepto Dinamarca), Portugal y la mayor parte de España (donde la sustituye la especie afín Melanargia lachesis); se extiende por Turquía, el Cáucaso e Irán. En Gran Bretaña se limita en gran medida al sur y el suroeste de Inglaterra y el sur de Gales, pero se ha ido expandiendo hacia el norte y el este en las últimas décadas, probablemente ligado al calentamiento del clima. La mayoría de las autoridades tratan hoy las poblaciones del Magreb, en el norte de África, como una especie separada, Melanargia lucasi, aunque algunas fuentes las mantienen como subespecie de M. galathea.
Fuentes y citas
Citar esta página
Usa esta cita para el registro de fauna de Plotwright. Usa las tarjetas de fuentes de abajo para explorar las referencias que informaron su taxonomía, distribución, conservación, plantas hospederas, forraje y hábitat.
Plotwright. (n.d.). Medioluto norteña (Melanargia galathea). Retrieved 2026, August 20, from https://plotwright.com/wildlife/marbled-white
Fuentes utilizadas para este registro
Este registro se elaboró a partir de las fuentes de abajo.
Marbled white - Wikipedia
Identification as a chequered satyrine, the European-to-west-Asian range with the contested North African M. lucasi, the grass larval hosts, and the adult preference for purple knapweed and scabious nectar.
Marbled white - UK Butterflies
UK Butterflies species account for the marbled white, covering its southern-British colonies, single-brood summer flight, grass larval foodplants, and adult nectaring on knapweeds, thistles, and marjoram.
Melanargia galathea - GBIF
GBIF backbone taxonomy record for Melanargia galathea, confirming the accepted species and its European-to-west-Asian occurrence range.
Melanargia galathea - iNaturalist
iNaturalist taxon page for Melanargia galathea, corroborating the accepted name and observation-based distribution.