LEPIDOPTERA

• S A T Y R I D A E Boisduval, 1833

  • COENONYMPHA Hubner, 1819

    
    

    • Coenonympha leander (Esper, [1784])

Coenonympha leander (Esper, [1784])

· TYPE LOCALITY. "Steppen an der Wolga" [Volga region, Russia].

· RANGE. From the Balkan Peninsula and the southern slopes of the Carpathians across the S. European part to S. Siberia, and across Transcaucasia to Asia Minor and Iran.

· DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. The SE. European part (the Urals), SW. Siberia - the nominate subspecies; the Caucasus Minor, the Armenian Highland, Talysh - ssp. obscura Heyne, [1894].

· HABITAT AND BIOLOGY. Dry but rich grasslands on plains; in Transcaucasia, it is found locally in river valleys, over subalpine meadows and openings near the upper forest line at 800-2,500 m a.s.l. Flight period: June-July, on plains a month earlier. Host plants in Europe (Koenig, 1959; Hesselbarth et al., 1995; etc.): Poa, Melica, Anthoxanthum, Lolium. Larvae hibernating.

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