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Melanargia russiae

Esper's Marbled White

Field Notes

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Macedonia, Greece, July 2004

ssp. japygia. Male is lightly marked.
 

Macedonia, Greece, July 2004

ssp. japygia. Female is heavily dusted.
 

Macedonia, Greece, July 2004
 

Montes Universales, Spain, August 2003

ssp. cleanthe.  A very late specimen. 
We found several in similarly worn condition lying dead in mud.

 

It has a scattered distribution from northern Spain, parts of southern France, north Italy and north Greece. The underside hindwing markings are bold but there is little shading or dusting of scales. The post discal band is often rather broad and has two longer sausage shaped marks in space 1. Amongst other features this should distinguish it from its close relatives.

I've never found it to be common although I have found it at a number of places in Greece and Spain. It usually flies with its relatives, principally galathea, lachesis (in Spain) and larissa (in Greece) from which it surprising and inexplicably stands out as being different somehow.

The subspecies cleanthe is found in western Europe being replaced by japygia in Italy and Greece. The latter is more heavily marked black. The nominate form russiae used to fly in Hungary but is now not found in Europe.

 

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