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LEPIDOPTERA

Melitaea pallas Staudinger, 1886
Melitaea pallas Staudinger, 1886

• TYPE LOCALITY. «Ala Tau und Margelan (nordliches Alai-Gebirge)». [N. slope of the Alai Mts., Kirghizia (Higgins, 1941)].

• RANGE. Pamirs-Alai, Tian-Shan.

• DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. The Alai, Transalai and a part of the Inner Tian-Shan support the nominotypical subspecies, the Talassky Ala-Tau and Chatkalsky mts. the ssp. iracunda Kolesnichenko et Churkin, 2000, the Kirghizsky Mts. (Alamedin River) the ssp. mendax Kolesnichenko et Churkin, 2000, the Naryn and Baidulu mts. the ssp. interpres Kolesnichenko et Churkin, 2000, the eastern edge of At-Bashi Mts. the ssp. vaschenkoi Kolesnichenko et Churkin, 2000, the E. Pamirs (Sarykolsky Mts.) the ssp. pseudobalbma Kolesnichenko et Churkin, 2000, the W. Pamirs (Pass Koitezek) the ssp. koitezek Kolesnichenko et Churkin, 2000.

• HABITAT AND BIOLOGY. Inhabitant of high-alpine meadows at about 2,500-3,000 m a.s.l. Flight period: June to July.

• SIMILAR SPECIES. Melitaea sultanensis: genitalia different. M. minerva: postdiscal row of black spots on UNF complete; genitalia different. M. solona, M. ludmilla: inner part of median band on UNH yellowish.

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