LEPIDOPTERA

Pyrgus alpinus (Erschoff, 1874)
Pyrgus alpinus (Erschoff, 1874)

• TYPE LOCALITY. "Кичи-Алай в Коканском ханстве". [Alai, Kichik-Alai Mts.].

• RANGE. Mountains of Central Asia from Ghissar to W. China and N. India.

• DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. Ghissar (Ghissarsky, Turkestansky Mts.), Alai, the Pamirs, Tian-Shan. Records from Altai and Kamchatka (Albert!, 1952) are highly doubtful. Variable in size and white spotting. In the S. and E. Pamirs at great elevations (4,000 m a.s.l. and more), there occurs the ssp. alichurensis de Jong, 1975; from the adjacent Chinese E. Pamirs (Mt. Mustag-Ata), the ssp. mustagatae Albert!, 1952 has been described.

• HABITATS AND BIOLOGY. Alpine and subalpine belts at 2,500-4,600 m a.s.l. Flight period: June-August in a single generation depending on the altitude.

• SIMILAR SPECIES. P. darwazicus: UPS and UNS white spotting usually greatly reduced. P. cashmirensis: UNH ground colour lighter, central discal spot usually extended based.

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

fig 4

Fig. Male genitalia of the Pyrgus malvae- (right clasp, uncus and gnatos), centaureae- and alpinus-groups (right clasp):
1 - P. malvae malvae (Sumy Reg., Ukraine);
2 - P. melotis ponticus (Armenia);
3 - P. centaureae (Aktash, S. Altai);
4 - P. sibirica (Aktash, S. Altai);
5 - P. alpinus alichurensis (SE. Pamirs);
6 - P. darwazicus celsimontius (E. Pamirs);
7 - P. cashmirensis pumilus (Shugnansky Mts., W. Pamirs)