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This is one of the 3 butterflies I've featured
that are not covered by Tolman (1997). It flies only on Cyprus which is,
admittedly, well removed from the rest of Europe and is probably better
associated with the Middle East. It is one of the earliest of
this genus to fly in my experience. Usually they do not start flying
until June but we found these in Cyprus near the end of April. In the
exceptionally poor weather we experienced during our week long visit the
butterflies we did find were easy to photograph in the cool dark
conditions. As with many of the actively speciating genus Hipparchia it
is practically indistinguishable from its relatives and the best guide
to its identity is its origin. |
