PREFACE This book is based on the long-term collections and observations by the authors in different regions of the Asian Russia: by Yuriy Petrovich Korshunov (Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals, Novosibirsk) - since 1948 in the Upper, Middle, and Lower Priobye, the Yamal Peninsula, Altai, the Kuznetskiy Alatau Mts., the Sayans; by Pavel Yunievich Gorbunov (Institute of Ecology of Plants and Animals, Ekaterinburg) - since 1982 in South, Middle, North, and Polar Ural, the Yamal Peninsula, Altai, Yakutia, Primorye. While preparing the book the authors had the possibility to work with numerous museum and private collections. The most interesting were the materials collected for Zoological Museum of IEPA by V.V. Dubatolov (Novosibirsk) in Altai, Yakutia, Zabaikalye, Primorye; by O.E.Kosterin (Novosibirsk) in Altai, Tuva, the Magadan region, Kamchatka, by V.V. Ivonin (Novosibirsk) in the Novosibirsk region, Pribaikalye, Primorye, and also some materials by E.V. Novomodnyy (Khabaovsk) from Khabarovskiy Kray, by V.V. Palekha (the settlement Karamken, the Magadan region) and V.V. Baglikov (the settlement Palatka) from the Magadan region, by A.N. Strel'tsov (Blagoveshchensk) from Priamrye, V.G. Barkhatov (Chelyabinsk), M.I. Prokofiev (SanctPetersburg), A. Matveev (Moscow) from Altai, by Yu.N. Glushchenko (Ussuriysk) from Yakutia and Primorye, V.N. Olshvang (Ekaterinburg) from Ural, by A.G. Tatarinov (Ukhta) from Preduralye and Polar Ural. The authors express their sincere gratitude to all of them, and also to A.V. Sviridov (Moscow), for the permission and help in the work with the collection of A.V. Tsvetaev, and to all artists and photographers who granted their materials for this book. The initial text of the book was written by Yu.P. Korshunov, he suggested the taxonomic basis, collected information on the type species, type localities, and ranges of species, made systematic notes and compiled basic ecological information and the descriptions of the preimaginal phases, both published data, personal communications, and own observations. P.Yu. Gorbunov added ecological infortmation such as biotopic preference and flight periods, partly based on his own observations on Ural. He also suggested the the minimum of the key characters necessary for identification of each species and gave the explanation of the butterfly names derived from personal surnames, and prepared the illustrations. A substantial help of our colleagues, especially information receive dfrom V.V. Dubatolov on Lycaenidae, Satyridae, Melitaeinae, is greatly appreciated. A great deal of data was adopted from Japanese, European, or American literature sources, such as the books by K. Eckstein (1913), K. Lampert (1913), E.Nikulescu (1963, 1965), D. Scott (1986), J. Moucha (1979). Especially helpful were the books "The life Histories of Butterflies in Japan", Osaka, 1982-1984, with observations of H. Fukuda, E. Hama, T. Kuzuya, A. Takahashi, M. Takahashi, B. Tanaka, H. Tanaka, M. Wakabayashi, Ya. Natanabe. The authors express their special gratitude to O.E.Kosterin for translating the book into English and for critical notes throughout the text. While preparing the book the authors receive a great help through consulting Otakar Kudrna (Germany), Eugene Niculescu (Romania), Ulf Eitchberger (FRG)< Midori Kogure (JApan), Tomoo Fujioka (Japan), Kenelm Philip (Alaska), James Troubridge (Canada), to whom the authors are much indebted. * * * [A text describing the geography of the Asian part of Russia] The study of butterflies in the Asian part of Russia has been started in the second half of XVIII century. The first butterfly described from this territory, namely, from Primorye, was Polygonia c-aureum (Linnaeus, 1767). The second and third species were stated from Altai, they were Colias aurora (Esper, 1781) and Parnassius phoebus (Fabricius, 1793). Several years later another butterfly, Erebia theano (Tauscher, 1806), was firstly found in Altai, and a number of species: Erebia brimo (Boeber, 1809), E. neriene (Boeber, 1809), Boeberia parmenio (Boeber, 1809), Clossiana tritonia (Boeber, 1812), Colias tyche Boeber, 1812 became known from Pribaikalye. In XIX century Ivan Esscholz, John Boisduval, Edward Menetries, Edward Eversmann, Nikolay Ershov, Otto Bremer, Sergey Alpheraky, Grigoriy Grum-Grshimailo, and other naturalists and lepidopterologists discovered dozens of new species and compiled the first lists of the fauna of South Ural, the forest-steppe zone of Siberia, and the Amur basin which since those times were little updated. To 1900 year 357 species were known for the Asian Russia. At the end of XIX and the beginning of the XX century rather a fruitful work was carried out by the museums in Ekaterinburg, Tobol'sk, Minusinsk, Irkutsk, Kyakhta, Chita, Khabarovsk, a considerable contribution to our knowledge was maid by A.A. Meinhard and S.M. Chugunov at the University of Tomsk. These and other local universities and museums and, later, research institutes of the modern type organized expeditions to more hard accessible northern regions of Ural, Siberia, and the Far East. The advancement of knowledge on butterflies of these regions was much promoted by amateur collectionists. Nevertheless, the data on this vast but scarcely populated area are still fragmentary. So far about 430 butterfly species have been found on the territory considered. About a half of the butterfly fauna is represented by transpalearctic species, that means they range throughout Europe and Asia. More than 200 of the rest species do not penetrate into Europe. A part of them are authentic species of East Siberia. They formed in Paleoasia, on the territory which had previously been a part of the so-called Angarida, that is the reason why they are sometimes called Angarian species. They are, for instance, Parnassius nomion, Sachaia ammosovi, C. hyperborea, C. viluiensis, Nymphalis xanthomelas, Melitaea baicalensis, Issoria eugenia, Clossiana oscarus, C. angarensis, C. erda, Triphysa albovenosa, Boeberia parmenio, Erebia neriene, E. cyclopia, E. fletcheri, O. magna, Pseudophylotes jacuticus, Plebejus subsolanus, and others. These butterflies are abundant and play a key role in local faunas on the territory which amazingly coincide with that occupied by permafrost, namely, the entire East Siberia, the most part of the Ob' basin, the extreme north of Ural, the adjacent regions of Preduralye [Cisuralia], the tundras and forest-tundras of the northern Europe. Such species as Clossiana angarensis, Issoria eugenia, Erebia edda, E. discoidalis, E. dabanensis penetrate westwards just to Polar Ural, where they fly together with the circumpolar Colias hecla, Oeneis bore, Clossiana chariclea, C. polaris, and others. The species complexes of the highlands of South Siberia are very peculiar, where many of the characteristic Subarctic species are replaced by authentic young endemics: Pyrgus sibirica, Clossiana matveevi, Boloria frigidalis, Oeneis ammon, O. tunga, O. altaica, Erebia theano, E. brimo, E. elwesi, E. kefersteini, E. kindermani. The number of western species, in broad sense, having the eastern boundaries of their ranges within the Asian Russia, is smaller. They are many species found in the temperate Europe, namely, Thymelicus flavus, Iphiclides podalirius, Driopa mnemosyne, Leptidea sinapis, Colias myrmidne, Vanessa atalanta, Nymphalis polychloros, Melitaea aurelia, Pararge aegeria, Lasiommata maera, Coenonympha arcania, Maniolia jurtina, Erebia euryale, Hipparchia semele, Melanargia galathea, Neozephyrus quercus, Fixenia acaceae, F. ilicis, Glaucopsyche alexis, Maculinea nausitous, Polyommatus coridon, and others, and a fraction of species of arid regions of S. Europe, N. Africa, Anterior Asia, the western Central Asia, and the steppes of Kazakhstan. The following species of this fraction can be enumerated: Colias thisoa, Melitaea arduinna, Hyponephele cadusina, Plebejus pylaon, and such specific genera as Carcharodus, Zerinthia, Zegris, Microzegris, Arethusana, Proterebia, Thersamonia. Some of these species are confined in the Asian Russia to South Ural, others penetrate into the southern regions of West Siberia and the western and southern ranges of Altai. As we proceed further eastwards the content of western species decrease in the local faunas. To the east of the Yenisey they are purely composed of Siberian species, while to the south-east they gradually become added with taxa penetrating from East Asia, so that Priamurye [the Amur basin] and Primorye are inhabited mostly by species of the East-Asiatic fauna which is the most ancient and peculiar one in Palearctic. As many as 36 genera found in the Asian Russia are restricted to this fauna, they mostly belong to such subfamilies as Zerynthiinae, Apaturinae, Limenitinae, Elymniinae, Theclinae. It is this area where occur our largest representatives of six butterfly families. The larvae of many species of this group are connected with arboreal plants, such as the skippers of the genera Bibasis, Lobocla, Satarupa, Diamio, Leptalina, the Papilionids of the genera Sericinus, Luehdorfia, Achillides, the white Paramidea scolymas, the ymphalids of teh genera Neptis, Limenitis, Amuriana, the green hairstreaks and some blues. The fauna of the Kuriles and Sakhalin is characterized by the species which except for these islands, are found only in Japan, they are Thoressa varia and some bamboo eaters: Neope goschkevitschii, N. niphonica, Zophessa callipteris, Lethe diana. The fauna of Kamchatka is, on the contrary, characterized by the absence of many species, both Angarian and, especially, East-Asiatic. However, Kamchatka is inhabited with its own subspecies of Papilio machaon (ssp. kamtschadalus), Parnassius phoebus (ssp. coribas), Erebia embla (ssp. succulenta), and of a number of the blues. The connections of the faunas of NE. Asia, one one hand, and Alaska and Canada, on the other hand, should also be mentioned. About 40 species range on either side of the Bering Straight, such as Papilio machaon, Parnassius phoebus, Driopa eversmannii, Euchloe creusa, Roddia l-album, Nymphalis antiopa, Cossiana improba, C. alberta, C. distincta, Boloria alaskensis, Erebia occulta, Oeneis semidea, Glaucopsyche lygdamus, Vacciniina optilete, and others. [The list of the main references] ORDO LEPIDOPTERA LINNAEUS, 1758 SUBORDO DIURNA LINNAEUS, 1758 (=Aparasterma Niculescu, 1970) THE BUTTERFLIES This group embraces several families of Lepidoptera, the imagines of which are active at the daytime. As in other insects, their body is subdivided into the head, thorax, and abdomen, the latter having no external appendages. The head bears a pair of large faceted eyes, a proboscis, a pair of well-developed labial palpi, usually set with scales and hairs, and a pair of long antennae which, as different from other Lepidoptera (traditionally called moths) are apically swollen in a club- or spindle-like manner. The thorax consists of three segments, each of them bearing a pair of legs (the fore pair may be much reduced). Besides, the first and second segment bear a pair of wings. The wing of butterflies are relatively large, they are crossed by veins and covered, in a tile-like manner, with scales of different colours; certain grouping of the latter forms a peculiar pattern.A characteristic feature of the butterflies is the absence of structures fastening the fore and hind wings. Butterflies are thought to arise in the Middle Cretaceous and to diverge vigorously in the Middle Paleogen (the Upper Paleocen - the Lower Eocen). Unfortunately, their fossils are very scarce, only several dozens of them being found so far. Butterflies belong to the insects with a complete metamorphosis. Their life cycle consists of the stages of the ovum (egg), larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and imago (the adult butterfly). Butterflies inhabit all the continents except for Antarctic, the total number of their species being estimated as more than seventeen thousand. About a thousand of them inhabit the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere, while the others are confined to the tropic and subtropic zones. About 430 butterfly species have been found on the territory of Asian Russia. The majority of our species develop in a single brood a year, although in the southern parts of the territory many of the same species are capable of producing two or even three broods. Some representatives of the genera Driopa, Euphydryas, Erebia, and Oeneis are biennial. Besides, the larvae of many tundral butterflies can hibernate twice on unfavourable climatic conditions of the season and so prolong the life cycle to two or more years. The flight period of imagines of a species usually lasts for 2-4 weeks or more, the average longevities of preimaginal stages are as follows: 10-20 days of the egg, 30-60 of the larva, 8-16 days of the pupa. Hibernation, occurring at any stage of the life cycle, prolongs it for a few months.