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LEPIDOPTERA

Hyponephele tristis (Grum-Grshimailo, 1893)
  Hyponephele tristis   (Grum-Grshimailo, 1893)

· TYPE LOCALITY. "...im declivitate septentrionali montium Hissariensium. [Iskander-Kul, fluv. Jagnob]" [Yagnob-Darya River near Lake Iskanderkul, Ghissarsky Mts., Tajikistan].

· RANGE. Confined to Ghissar-Darvaz.

· DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. The Ghissarsky, Zeravshansky, Turkestansky mts., Baisun-Tau, the Kuhitangtau, Karateghinsky, Peter 1 and W. Alaisky (southern slopes) mts. - the nominate subspecies (= leontyi J.J. Shchetkin, 1979). Populations from the Turkestansky Mts. differ from the type in some characters and have been described as the ssp. tshikolovetsi Samodurov, 1996.

· TAXONOMIC NOTES. The species has long been confused with H. dysdora, both forms often flying together.

· HABITAT AND BIOLOGY. Preferring stony habitats: canyons, dry stream beds, rocky formations at 1,700-2,500 m a.s.l. Flight period: June-July.

· SIMILAR SPECIES. H. dysdora: male androconial area broad; UNH median band differently arranged. H. prasolovi: male androconial area narrow, shaped as a thin direct stripe; UNH pattern different. H. murzini: UNH different.

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