Satyrium esculi (Hübner, [1804])

Satyrium esculi (Hübner, [1804]) ( Lycaenidae ) **

L4; 24/V/2019, perch. on Q. suber sapling, nect. on new shoots, 1 ex. v., JLR.; L4; 05/VI/2019, 1 ex. v., JLR.; L4; 17/VI/2019, nect. on Q. suber , 3 ex. v., JLR.; L4; 20/VI/2019, nect. on D. carota , 1 ex. v., JLR.; L4; 22/V/2020, nect. on S. atropurpurea and perch. on Q. suber , 5 ex. v., JLR.; L4; 29/V/2020, perch. on Q. suber , 6 ex. v., JLR.; L4; 17/VI/2020, nect. on S. atropurpurea and perch. on Q. suber leaves, 9 ex. v., JLR.; L4; 19/VI/2020, nect. on G. linifolia and Q. suber leaves, 5 ex. v., JLR.; L12; 21/VI/2020, nect. on S. atropurpurea and perch. on Q. suber , 5 ex. v., JLR.; L12; 14/VI/2021, nect. on S. atropurpurea and perch. on Q. suber , 7 ex. v., JLR.; L25; 13/VI/2019, nect. on T. caeruleum , 1 ex. v., JLR.; L29; 22/VI/2019, perch. on Q. suber , 3 ex. v., JLR.; L35; 07/VI/2019, nect. on Q. suber , 1 ex. v., JLR.; L35; 29/VI/2020, nect. on D. carota , 2 ex. v., JLR.; L36; 15/VI/2019, 3 ex. v., JLR.; L36; 21/VI/2020, 3 ex. v., JLR.; L36; 29/VI/2020, nect. on D. carota , 4 ex. v., JLR.; L37; 09/VI/2021, perch. on Q. suber , 12 ex. v., JLR.; L43; 07/VI/2019, perch. on Q. suber , 5 ex. v., JLR.; L44; 06/VI/2019, perch. on Q. suber leaves, 8 ex. v., JLR.; L63; 12/VI/2021, nect. on D. carota , 2 ex. v., JLR.; L66; 26/V/2019, perch. on Q. suber , 2 ex. v., JLR.; L66; 13/VI/2019, perch. on Q. suber , 5 ex. v., JLR.; L66; 06/VI/2020, nect. on L. stoechas , C. crispus , and perch. on Q. suber , 13 ex. v., JLR.; L66; 21/VI/2020, nect. on L. stoechas and perch. on Q. suber , 29 ex. v., JLR.; L73; 06/VI/2020, nect. on D. gerardi , 18 ex. v., JLR.; L74; 13/VI/2022, perch. on young Q. suber leaves, 3 ex. v., JLR.; L75; 13/VI/2022, nect. on R. ulmifolius and D. carota , 10 ex. v., JLR.; L76; 16/VI/2019, nect. on Q. suber , 1 ex. v., JLR.; L80; 08/VI/2019, nect. on D. carota , P. spinosa , and S. atropurpurea and perch. on Q. suber , 21 ex. v., JLR.; L88; 06/VI/2020, nect. on D. carota and Diplotaxis sp. , 4 ex. v., JLR.

Comment: First records for Ceuta, based on observations from 17 localities within 9 1× 1 km UTM squares. The species has a flight period primarily from May to June, with additional observations in September. It is usually associated with formations or small stands of Q. suber . Adults have been observed nectaring on S. atropurpurea , D. carota , T. caeruleum , R. ulmifolius , L. stoechas , C. crispus , D. gerardi , P. spinosa , and Diplotaxis sp. The most likely larval host plant in Ceuta is Q. suber , as adults have frequently been seen flying and perching around it. Notably, S. esculi has been reported as a defoliator of cork oak ( Q. suber ) in southern Iberia ( Robles et al., 2020) and is closely associated with other Quercus species across its range ( García-Barros et al., 2013). Northern African populations, including the one in Ceuta, belong to the subspecies S. esculi mauretanica (Staudinger, 1892) ( Rungs, 1981; Tennent, 1996; Tarrier & Delacre, 2008; Leraut, 2016; Tarrier, 2025c).