LEPIDOPTERA

• N Y M P H A L I D A E Swainson, 1827

  • MELITAEA Fabricius, 1807

    
    

    • Melitaea lunulata Staudinger, 1901

Melitaea lunulata Staudinger, 1901

• TYPE LOCALITY. «Iss.[yk] K.[ul] oc.[cidentalis]; Taschkend s.[eptentrionalis] or. [ientalis] alp.[es]» [Kirghizsky Mts. (west); Chatkalsky Mts., Uzbekistan].

• DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. Confined to the W. (nominotypical taxon) and N. Tian-Shan, the latter supporting the ssp. merke Lukhtanov, 1999.

• HABITATS AND BIOLOGY. Occurring locally on screes and in precipices at 2,500-3,500 m a.s.l. Flight period: June to July.

• SIMILAR SPECIES. Melitaea fergana: ground colour on UPS without red hue, as a rule.

Photo and text: Guide to the BUTTERFLIES OF RUSSIA and adjacent territories Volume 2. PENSOFT, Sofia - Moscow. 2000