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LEPIDOPTERA

Colias tyche tyche (Boeber, 1812)

Colias tyche

• TYPE LOCALITY. Unknown, probably Lake Baikal.
• RANGE . From the tundras of N. Europe across the whole of Siberia (including the Chukot Peninsula) to Mongolia.
• DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. Siberia (except for its north) and Transbaikalia -the nominate subspecies (= melinos Eversmann, 1847; = magna Ruhl, 1893; = vitimensis Austaut, 1899; = deckerti Verity, 1909). In addition, the following subspecies can be recognized: ssp. werdandi Zetterstedt, 1840 - the N. European part; ssp. herzi Staudinger, 1901 - N. Siberia; ssp. relicta Kurentzov, 1970 - the Chukot Peninsula, the Far East; ssp. montana Verity, 1911 - the Altai and Sayan mts.; ssp. ludmilla Hemming, 1933 (= chryseis Verity, 1911, nom. praeoccup.) - the Amur region.
• HABITAT AND BIOLOGY. Humid water-meadows, grassy humid mountain slopes and foothills up to 2,600 m a.s.L, shrubby tundras. Flight period: June-July. Host plants in Scandinavia (Henriksen, Kreutzer, 1982) - Astragalus alpinus, in the Taimyr Peninsula (Korshunov et al., 1985) - Oxytropis, in the Altai (Gorbunov, Korshunov, 1995) - Caragana.
• SIMILAR SPECIES. C. nastes: FW apex rounded; UPS black markings more intensive; UNH ground colour green, often with contrasting markings.

Photo and text: Guide to the BUTTERFLIES OF RUSSIA and adjacent territories Volume 1. PENSOFT, Sofia - Moscow. 1997