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LEPIDOPTERA

Carcharodus flocciferus (Zeiler, 1847)
Carcharodus flocciferus (Zeiler, 1847)

• TYPE LOCALITY. "Sirakus, Sicilien" [Syracuse, Sicily].

• SYNONYMS: altheae Hubner, [1803] (nom. praeoccup.); gemma Lederer, 1852.

• RANGE. Middle and S. Europe to S. Siberia, Asia Minor.

• DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. The central and S. European parts to Cis-caucasian slopes and Transcaucasia (lacking in the Caucasus Major), the Altai, W. and S. Siberia up to Yenisei River/Krasnoyarsk in the east.

The species shows little geographical variation, more southerly the specimens being smaller in size and lighter in colour.

• HABITATS AND BIOLOGY. Grassy areas, forest edges, warm slopes/patches on plains and in the mountains. Flight: period: June-July, in the south possibly in two generations. Host plants in Europe (Eckstein, 1913): Lamiaceae [Marrubium peregrinum, M. vulgare, Stachys officina-lis, Thymus roegneri).

• SIMILAR SPECIES. C. alceae: male lacking a hair tuft at base of male UNF. C. orientalis, C. stauden, C. dravira: genitalia different (Fig.).

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

fig 2

Fig. Male genitalia of some Carcharodus (right clasp and aedeagus): 1 - C. flocciferus (Armenia); 2 - C. orientalis (Talysh); 3 - C. stauderi (Nakhichevan); 4 - C. dravira (W. Kopet-Dagh Mts.)