LEPIDOPTERA

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

  • EUPHYDRYAS Scudder, 1872

    
    

    • Euphydryas (aurinia) merope (Prunner, 1798)

Euphydryas (aurinia) merope (Prunner, 1798)

• TYPE LOCALITY. «Valle Varaitana circa Lyaiol» [Alps].

• RANGE. Highlands of the Pyreneen, the Alps, the Caucasus and S. Siberia.

• DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. The nominotypical subspecies occurs in the Alps. The Caucasus Major is inhabited by the ssp. peliucida (Christoph, 1893). Specimens from the Altais and Sayan, Siberia differ clearly from other conspecific forms and represent the ssp. altiuolans Tuzov, 2000.

• HABITATS AND BIOLOGY. Alpine meadows at 1,600-2,500 m a.s.l. Flight period: June to July. Host plants in Europe (Jutzeler, 1990): Gentiana acaulis, G. verna, Primula viscosa.

• SIMILAR SPECIES. Euphydryas aurinia, E. orientalis, E. provincialis, E. asiatica, E. sibirica: larger; black marking of UPS more delicate and contrasting; orange sub-marginal fascia broader, especially so on HW.

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