About Satyrus ferula Fabricius, 1793
Satyrus ferula (Fabricius, 1793) has forewings that measure 25 to 30 mm in length. This species exhibits clear sexual dimorphism: males resemble each other much more closely in appearance than females do. Males typically have dark brown wings on both surfaces, while females have paler wings, with broad greyish bands on the undersides of their hindwings. On both sides of the forewings, individuals have two to four black ocelli with white pupils, with the first ocellus being much larger than the lower ones. The flight period of this butterfly runs from June to early September, and females lay their eggs on grass. Larvae have been recorded feeding on various grasses, including Stipa, Festuca, Bromus erectus and Deschampsia caespitosa (Higgins, Riley, 1982). This species is distributed in southern Europe, Morocco, Asia Minor, Iran, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Transbaikal, western China and the Himalayas. It prefers grassy, rocky areas, calcareous grasslands, and forest clearings, found at elevations of 400–1,800 metres (1,300–5,900 ft) above sea level, and can reach up to 3000 m in elevation in North Africa.
