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LEPIDOPTERA

Lasiommata maera (Linnaeus, 1758)
Lasiommata maera (Linnaeus, 1758)

· TYPE LOCALITY. Sweden.

· RANGE. N. Africa, Europe, Minor Asia, the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, the Urals, the Altai, SW. Siberia.

· DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. The European part, Kopet-Dagh, N. Tian-Shan, Dzhungarsky Alatau, Tarbagatai, Saur, the Altai Mts., SW. Siberia to the Sayan Mts. - the nominate subspecies. Other known subspecies are as follows: ssp. crimaea (A. Bang-Haas, 1907) - the Crimea; ssp. jachontovi Sheljuzhko, 1937 (= strandi Sheljuzhko, 1937) - the Caucasus Major; ssp. abastumana Sheljuzhko, 1937 (= gracilis Sheljuzhko, 1937) - the Caucasus Minor; ssp. orientalis Ruhl, [1894] (= armeniaca Sheljuzhko, 1937; = karsiana Sheljuzhko, 1937) - the Armenian Highland, Talysh. The species is highly variable with respect of the degree of development of the reddish pattern on the wings. In general, boreal specimens are more monotonous in colour lacking rusty-red dusting on the UNF; in more southerly populations, brightly coloured specimens are more frequent with the UPS reddish coloration extended and the UNH greyish.

· TAXONOMIC NOTES. The status of the numerous taxa described as based on the above variation from different, largely southern parts of the geographical range is unclear, but the majority of them seem to be nothing else but infrasubspecific forms.

· HABITAT AND BIOLOGY. Lowland and mountain forests up to 2,000 m a.s.l., preferring forest edges, openings, roads, etc. Flight period: April to October in one (in the north and in the mountains) or two generations (in the south, in favourable years also in the northern parts of the range). Host plants (Eckstein, 1913; Nekrutenko, 1990; Hesselbarth et al., 1995; etc.): grasses Poa, Dactylis, Glyceria, Festuca, Hordeum, etc. Larvae hibernating.

· SIMILAR SPECIES. L. adrastoides: UPF ochreous spots complete, forming a band in females. L. menava: wings more strongly produced, UNH ground colour lighter with fine brown lines, UNF discal spot silky or pearlish-grey. L. petropolitana: UPS ground colour dark with fine dark lines (especially on HW).

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