LEPIDOPTERA
PIERIDAE Duponchel,1835
COLIAS Fabricius,1807
Colias crocea (Fourcroy, 1785)
Colias crocea crocea (Fourcroy, 1785)
• RANGE . From N. Africa across the whole of Europe, Asia Minor and the Middle East, the Caucasus and Kazakhstan to W. Siberia.
• DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. The central and S. European parts, the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, W. Siberia. Plenty of seasonal and geographical colour forms or aberrations have been described, obviously none of which deserving even a subspecific status.
• HABITAT AND BIOLOGY. Dry valleys and slopes, steppe habitats. Flight period: April-October in two to three generations. In some years, migrations can be observed. Host plants (Nekrutenko, 1990; Gorbunov, Korshunov, 1995): Vicia, Lotus, Onobrychis, Medicago, Trifolium, Astragalus.
• SIMILAR SPECIES. C. myrmidone: UPS dark marginal border without yellow veins. C. crate f. chrysodona: UPH lacking a basal androconial spot. C. chrysotheme: smaller; UPS ground colour orange-yellow; wings more strongly produced.
Photo and text: Guide to the BUTTERFLIES OF RUSSIA and adjacent territories Volume 1. PENSOFT, Sofia - Moscow. 1997