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LEPIDOPTERA

Hyponephele lupina (Costa, 1836)
Hyponephele lupina (Costa, 1836)

· TYPE LOCALITY. "Otranto, Bosco di Guagnano" [Otranto, Naples, Italy].

· RANGE. N. Africa, S. and SE. Europe, the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, Asia Minor, Middle Asia, Kazakhstan, S. Siberia.

· DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. Highly variable in size and colour; infraspecific forms need to be re-examined all over the range of distribution. The following subspecies are known from the territory of Russia and adjacent regions: the nominate subspecies - the S. Ukraine, the Lower Volga basin, the S. Urals; ssp. intermedia (Staudinger, 1886) (= turanica (Heyne, [1894]; = margelanica Turati, 1909; = transcaucasica (Jachontov, 1910)) - Transcaucasia (locally), Tian-Shan, S. Ghissar, the Pamirs-Alai, Kazakhstan (from Emba and Mangyshlak to the S. Altai), Tuva, mountains of S. Siberia to Lake Baikal; ssp. lanata (Alpheraky, 1876) - the N. Caucasus (locally), the Crimea.

· HABITAT AND BIOLOGY. The species is found in most different grassy, flowery and shrubby habitats in steppe and semi-deserts, also in sparse foothill and mountain forests, ravines, river valleys and flood-lands, cultivated landscapes (irrigated lands, orchards, etc.); in the mountains at 2,000-2,200 m a.s.l., in the W. Pamirs and Transalai even up to 2,400-2,600 m a.s.l. Flight period: May-September depending on the altitude and climatic conditions, in the S. European part June-July.

· SIMILAR SPECIES. H. lycaon, H. dzhungarica: male androconial area narrow, crossed by pale veins; in female UPF eye-spots surrounded by a common pale ochreous area. H. interposita: wing pattern and coloration different; male androconial area broad; female FW with a single eye-spot; UNH in both sexes with a subapical spot. H. lycaonoides: male UPS with a more or less well-developed ochreous colour; UNH paler. H. przhewalskyi: male androconial area narrower; HW outer edge less strongly undulate; UNH ground colour uniform.

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