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LEPIDOPTERA

Erebia turanica Erschoff, [1877]
  Erebia turanica   Erschoff, [1877]

· TYPE LOCALITY. "...auf den Alpen von Turkestan". [?Zailiisky Alatau, N. Tian-Shan, Kazakhstan]. In our opinion, the recent indication by Lukhtanov & Lukhtanov (1994) of Dzhungarsky Alatau as a possible type locality is rather questionable.

· RANGE. Mountainous areas from the S. Altai to N. Tian-Shan.

· DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. The species demonstrates a great number of aberrations and transitional forms, to which the taxa jucunda Pungeler, 1903 and grumi Lukhtanov, 1994 (= tristis Grum-Grshimailo, 1893, nom. praeoccup.) should be referred, too. Specimens from Tian-Shan are usually related to the ssp. laeta Staudinger, 1881, but the inaccurate indication of the type locality coupled with the high variability of the species make its subspecific division difficult.

· HABITAT AND BIOLOGY. Flowery mountain meadows at 1,000-3,000 m a.s.l. Flight period: June-July.

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