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LEPIDOPTERA

Apatura ilia Denis et Schiffermuller, 1775
Apatura ilia Denis et Schiffermuller, 1775

•TYPE LOCALITY. «Umgebung von Wien» [Vienna, Austria].

•SYNONYMS: Julia (Schranck, 1801); laura Vieillot. 1821, etc., see below.

• RANGE. From Europe to NE. China, Japan and Korea, excluding Transcaucasia, Middle Asia and Siberia.

•DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. The Carpathians, the European part, the Caucasus Major and W. Siberia are populated by the nominotypical subspecies (= Carolina Serville, 1821; = parisia Servllle, 1821; = carueli Le Moult, 1947; =J'LinoLe Moult, 1947; = mmerua Le Moult, 1947; = russica Le Moult, 1947). The large ssp. pra.ecla.ra Bollow, 1930 (= submarginalis Kishida et Nakamura, 1934; = ussuriensis Kurentzov, 1937; = koreilia Biyk, 1946; = bernardii Le Moult, 1947; = orientalis Le Moult, 1947) inhabits Transbaikalia (SE.), the Amur and Ussuri regions, Sakhalin, and the Kuriles. The following subspecies are known to occur in China: here Felder, 1862 (= serarum Oberthur. 1891), phaedra Leech, 1892 (= yunnanensis Le Moult, 1947), hereoides 0. Bang-Haas, 1933, herastituta 0. Bang-Haas. 1936, pusilla 0. Bang-Haas, 1936, szechwanensis Le Moult, 1947, extensa Le Moult, 1947, and subsobrma Mell, 1952, yimnana Mell, 1952. The situation is the more so complex as the species displays a number of colour forms. The form clytie ([Denis et Schiffermuller], 1775) with red, not white, bands on the UPS is among the most famous in approaching A. metis, in which it is reddish morphs that prevail.

•HABITATS AND BIOLOGY. Edges of deciduous forest. Flight period: June to August, in one or two generations, depending on climatic conditions. Host plants:Populus tremula, P. nigra, P. alba, etc.; in the Ussuri region (Dantchenko & Nikolaevsky, in press): Populus maximowiczii. Hibernation as instar 3 larvae.

•SIMILAR SPECIES. Apatura iris: tooth on median band of UPH well-developed. A. metis: median band of UPH continuing behind vein Cu2; submarginal lunules outlined clearly; anal ocellus on UNH without blue scales, as a rule.

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