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LEPIDOPTERA

Nymphalis polychloros (Linnaeus, 1758)
Nymphalis polychloros (Linnaeus, 1758)

• TYPE LOCALITY. Sweden.

• SYNONYMS: testudo (Esper, [1781]); pyrrhomelaena (Hubner, [1824]); pyromelas Freyer, [1834]; feruida Standfuss, 1896; lucida (Fruhstorfer, 1907); dilucidus (Fruhstorfer, 1907).

• RANGE. From W. Europe across Asia Minor to W. Siberia and W. China.

•DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. Nearly invariable. The nominotypical subspecies only occurring in the European part, Caucasus and Transcaucasia, Kopet-Dagh, Ghi-ssar-Darvaz, Pamirs-Alai, Tian-Shan, Saur, Tarbagatai, W. Siberia, and the Altais.

•HABITATS AND BIOLOGY. Life history similar to that of the previous species (Dantchenko & Nikolaevsky. in press) but larvae prefer to live on fruit trees: Primus, Pyrus, in central Russia on Salix uiminalis. Egg laid in clumps of 20-60 on twigs of the host plant. Instar 1 larvae living in nests. Pupation in different shelters near the ground. Imago can feed on sap of trees or crush, in organic debris.

•SIMILAR SPECIES. Nymphalis xanthomelas: black marking on UPH blurring into a dark orange disc. N. vaualbum: outer margin of wings more strongly serrate.

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