LEPIDOPTERA
PAPILIONIDAE Latreille,1802
PARNASSIUS Latreille,1804
Parnassius simonius Staudinger, 1889
Parnassius simonius grayi Avinov, 1916
· RANGE. The Pamirs-Alai.
· DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION.The species is confined to the mountain ranges bordering the Alaiskaya Valley. The nominate subspecies occurs in the Zaalaisky Mts., and the ssp. grayi Avinov, 1916 up to the central part of the Alaisky Mts. (Pass Gaumysh). In addition, there are two recently described subspecies: ssp. nigrificatus Kreuzberg, 1986 (Zaalalsky Mts., Pass Kyzyl-Art), and ssp. taldicus Gundorov, 1991 (Alaisky Mts., Pass Taldyk) (= shuvalorum Kreuzberg et Pljushch, 1992). Variation between all these subspecies is relatively little.
· HABITATS AND BIOLOGY. Associated with clayey-stony slopes at 3,400-4,500 m a.s.l. Flight period: July. Possible host plants: Lagotis decumbens and Veronica luetkeana.
· SIMILAR SPECIES. P. simo. UPH submarginal band represented by a discontinuous row of arrow-like teeth. P. boedromius. UPH submarginal band smoothly dentate.
Photo and text: Guide to the BUTTERFLIES OF RUSSIA and adjacent territories Volume 1. PENSOFT, Sofia - Moscow. 1997