LEPIDOPTERA
PAPILIONIDAE Latreille,1802
PARNASSIUS Latreille,1804
Parnassius charltonius Gray, [1853]
Parnassius charltonius romanovi Grum-Grshimailo, 1885
· RANGE. Mountains of Central Asia: the Pamirs-Alai, Ghissar, Hindu Kush, the NW. and central Himalaya, Karakorum, SW. Tibet.
· DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. Over 20 subspecies have been described throughout the species range. In Middle Asia, the following subspecies are known: ssp. romanovi Grum-Grshimailo, 1885 - Alai; ssp. vaporosus Avinov, 1916 Darvaz, the W. Pamirs; ssp. ljudmilae Lesin et Kaabak, 1991 - Ghissar; asp. anjuta J.J. Shchetkin et Kaabak, 1985 - the E. Pamirs, the Mynkhadzhir Mts.; and ssp. mistenclis Kaabak, Sotshivko et Titov, 1996 - the SE. Pamirs, Sarykolsky Mts.
· HABITATS AND BIOLOGY. Rocks and steep underlying screes at 3,400*4,200 m a.s.l. Life cycle biannual, as a rule. Flight period: mid-July to September, in some populations only in even years. Flight swift; adults readily feeding on Carduus flowers. Host, plants : Corydalis stricta, C. gortschakovi.
Photo and text: Guide to the BUTTERFLIES OF RUSSIA and adjacent territories Volume 1. PENSOFT, Sofia - Moscow. 1997