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LEPIDOPTERA

Euchloe ausonia volgensis Krulikovsky, 1897

Euchloe ausonia

• TYPE LOCALITY. "Italien" [N. Italy].

• RANGE. N. Africa, S. and E. Europe to W. Siberia, the Caucasus and Transcaucasia; across Asia Minor and the Middle East to Middle Asia.

• DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. The European part, NW. Kazakhstan, the Caucasus Major and Minor, the Armenian Highland, Talysh, Kopet-Dagh - ssp. volgensis Krulikovsky, 1897 (= uralensis Barthel, 1902; = pfaffi Trautmann, 1927; = krulikowskyi Sheljuzhko, 1928; = sovinskyi Sheljuzhko, 1928); Tian-Shan, Ghissar, Darvaz - ssp. transiens Verity, 1908; the Altai - ssp. dubatolom Korshunov, 1995.

• TAXONOMIC NOTES. The taxonomy of this and two following species, which are all very similar to each other, is not yet studied in a satisfactory way. In particular, there is information about their sympatric occurrence in areas of geographical overlap, and this is to be proved or disproved by further investigations. Usually they are regarded as constituents of the superspecies ausoma.

• HABITATS AND BIOLOGY. Preferring steppe and other dry open habitats on plains and at foothills, getting up to 3,000 m a.s.L in the mountains. Flight period: April-August in two generations. Host plants (Back, 1990): Cruciferae (Iberis, Sisymbri-um, Barbarea, etc.). Pupa hibernating, often several times.

• SIMILAR SPECIES. E. naina: male UPF with a dull black pattern; female UPS darkened with dirty-yellowish dusting. E. pulverata: UNS all white spots rounded.

Photo and text: Guide to the BUTTERFLIES OF RUSSIA and adjacent territories Volume 1. PENSOFT, Sofia - Moscow. 1997