LEPIDOPTERA
PIERIDAE Duponchel,1835
COLIAS Fabricius,1807
Colias erate (Esper, [1805])
Colias erate erate (Esper, [1805])
• RANGE . From central Europe across the Caucasus, Transcaucasia and Asia Minor to W. China and Mongolia.
• DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. The S. European part to S. Siberia, the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, Turan, Kopet-Dagh, Tian-Shan, Ghissar, S. Ghissar, Darvaz, Alai, the Pamirs, the Altai - the nominate subspecies. The species is highly variable in ground colour and shape of the terminal dark border, as well as in the presence of HW androconia. Such a pronounced polymorphism has led to the description of a great number of infrasubspecific forms. By the same reason, C. erate in some cases can hardly be distinguished from other related species of the same group.
• HABITAT AND BIOLOGY. Widely distributed in steppe, forest-steppe, foothill and xerophytic mountain habitats, reaching the upper limit of vegetation (4,000-4,500 m a.s.l.). Flight period: May-October in two to four generations. Host plants (Bartel, 1914; Migranov, 1991): Medicago, Trifolium, Onobrychis, Melilotus, etc.
• SIMILAR SPECIES. Colias sareptensis, C. poliographus, C. erschoffii: UPS dark border always with yellow spots.
Photo and text: Guide to the BUTTERFLIES OF RUSSIA and adjacent territories Volume 1. PENSOFT, Sofia - Moscow. 1997