NOTE: the text corresponds to (Korshunov & Gorbunov, 1995) with additions and corrections (Korshunov, 1996) incorporated

Special thank to Dr. Cris Guppy (Quesnel, Canada) who kindly corrected many spelling and other lingustic errors.

FAMILIA NYMPHALIDAE Swainson, 1827

The butterflies of intermediate or, less frequently, small or large size, with f.w.l. of 13-48 mm. In colouration red and brown colours usually predominate. The fore legs are reduced to the so-called "brushes" and useless for walking. The veins at the wing bases are never swollen. Imagines of some species are capable of far migrations.

The larvae usually bear spines or processes; sometimes they are gregarious, especially in earlier instars. Larvae of Nymphalis, Aglais, Inachis, Vanessa, Araschnia, Melitaea, Argynnis have a "neck" gland in a special fold on 1st segment ventral side, with repellent secret, this fact was reported as long ago as in 1897 by I. Porchinskii. The pupae are angular or with some prominences, they are always suspended head-downwards by the tail (with the aid of hooks on the cremaster).

The family is distributed throughout the world and embraces about 2500 species, mostly tropical, somewhat more than 100 species inhabit the Asian Russia.

Type species: Limenitis dichroa Kollar,1844].

The genus includes three species from E. and S. Asia.

TYPE LOCALITY: the West Himalaya.

RANGE: S Primorye, Korea, Central, East, South-East and South China, the Himalayan. A local species.

HABITAT: primary fir/broad-leafed mixed or oak forests on hill slopes; only some imagines penetrate into the valley broad- leafed forests, where the males can congregate on river and brook banks and at pools on roads. The females keep to tree canopy and rarely descend to the ground.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle July/late August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Primorye (A. Danchenko). Foodplants: Quercus mongolica. Larva: green with two brownish-red processes, set with sharp spinules, on the head

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 31-42 mm. Wing upperside ochre-orange in males and whitish in females, with an ornament of black spots of different sizes; fore wing outer margin substantially concave.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: Primorye is inhabited by ssp. princeps Fixsen, 1887.

Type species: Apatura? morgiana Westwood in Doubleday,1850]

The genus includes two species from E Asia.

TYPE LOCALITY: China: Omei-Shan.

RANGE: E and NE China, Korea. On 23rd April 1991 at the town Ussurisk (S Primorye) a fresh individual of this species, probably a migrant, was observed among a group of Roddia l-album (Masui, Inomata, 1993).

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplant: Celtis, which is absent from Primorye.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 30-38 mm. Wing upperside is ochre-orange, with a dark border and separate spots, in males and brown with yellow and red spots in females; fore wing outer margin concave, there are 2-3 oval silvery spots of different size at fore wing apex; on hind wing underside there is a narrow straight stripe going from middle fore margin to anal angle.

Type species: Adolias schrenckii Ménétriés, 1859.

A monotypical genus confined to the Amur basin.

TYPE LOCALITY: Priamurye: the mountains of Bureya.

RANGE: Priamurye (from the Bureya to the Goryun Rivers), Primorye, the neighbouring regions of NE China, Korea.

HABITAT: polydominant broad-leaved and mixed montane forests up to the dark-needle taiga belt; the butterflies keep to river and brook banks, roads, edges, and open stand of trees.

FLIGHT PERIOD: early July/late August or early September.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Priamurye (Graeser, 1888; Ruhl, 1895; Seitz, 1908). Foodplants: in Priamurye - Ulmus propinqua and U. laciniata (Greaser, 1888), in Priamurye - Carpinus cordata (Kurentzv, 1970). Larva: light-green, with pairs of dorsal processes set with timy hooks on segments 5, 7, 10 and two thin caudal spines. Pupa: large, light green, on leaf underside.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 42-50 mm. Wing upperside is dark-brown, almost black, with white spots not fused into bands; hind wing underside has two vast light-blue areas on a brick-red background.

ETYMOLOGY: Leopold Ivanovich Schrenk (1826-1894) - a famous Russian naturalist, botanist, and zoologist, an explorer of the Far East.

Type species: Papilio iris Linnaeus, 1758.

F.w.l.: 30-47 mm. Wing upperside of brown tones with white or fulvous spots and bands, in males with a strong iridescent violet flush; fore wing outer margin slightly concave; hind wing has an ocellus at anal angle.

Eggs: greenish, hemispheric, ribbed lengthwise; laid singly or by small batches on leaves, branches, or trunks of the foodplants, which are Salicaceae trees. Young larva lives in a shelter made out of silk-spun leaves and then hibernates. Last instar larva is green with a peculiar pattern of yellowish slanting streaks on sides; head bears a pair of horny processes; end of the body with two spikes. Pupa: greenish, smooth, its head and tail ends being similarly pointed, there are two small horns on head; usually it is suspended on a leaf of the foodplant. Imagines, especially males, are attracted by rotting organic residues, such as carrion, excrement, fallen fruits, where they often congregate into small swarms. In sunny weather they are also gathered on the damp ground. Females keep to the tree canopy and so are seldom seen.

A Palaearctic genus including about 10 species; our species have similar ranges in the temperate Eurasia with large gaps in the central part of the continent.

TYPE LOCALITY: Germany, England.

RANGE: Europe, Middle and South Ural, Tyumen' Region (Yarkovskii, Tobol'skii and Tyumenskii Districts (Sitnikov, 1992)) and, after a tremendous gap, E Zabaikalye, Priamurye, Primorye, Central and North-East China, Korea, Japan.

HABITAT: willow stands in various type woods.

FLIGHT PERIOD: late June/middle September.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Salix (S. caprea and others), Populus. Eggs are laid on leaf upperside, up to 4 m above the ground. Second instar larva: green with a black head and a white transversal spot on 7th terite. Larva: green, covered with yellowish dots, with two red spikes on rear segment and light- green horns on head; the first four segments with lengthwise yellow streak on either side, further there are five slanting streaks of the same colour, the first of which being the longest.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 33-38 mm in males, 36-47 mm in females. Spots and bands on fore wing upperside are usually white, in Far-Eastern specimens often yellowish; outer edge of white band on hind wing has a sharp tooth.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: In the western part of the range the nominotypical subspecies is distributed, while ssp. amurensis Stichel in Seitz, 1908 inhabits the eastern part.

TYPE LOCALITY: Austria: Vienna.

RANGE: Europe, south Ural, and then E Zabaikalye, Priamurye, Primorye, Sakhalin, S Kuriles, Central and NE China, Korea, Japan.

HABITAT: river and brook banks, wood edges, open poplar/willow, broad-leaved and mixed forests, riparian bird cherry/willow thickets.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle June/middle September.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Populus tremulae, P. nigra, Salix. Larva: resembles A. iris but lateral streaks margined with red or black, head horns longer, black or brownish at front side.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 31-41 mm. On wing upperside spots and bands are white or yellowish (in an European form clyte Denis et Schiffermueller, 1775 and form praeclara Moltrecht, 1927 in the Far East). On hind wing the white band outer margin straight or smoothly curved.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The western part of the range is inhabited by the nominotypical subspecies, in the southern Far East there ranges ssp. ussuriensis Kurentzov, 1937, differing by on average more stretched out and pointed fore wings and usually well expressed fulvous spots along outer margin on hind wing upperside.

TYPE LOCALITY: Hungary.

RANGE: SE Europe, the south of W Siberia (the Irtysh valley, from the village Kachiry in the Pavlodar Region of Kazakhstan to the city Tobol'sk), and, after a gap, SE Zabaikalye, Priamurye (from the Zeya to the Goryun Rivers), Primorye, NE China, Korea, Japan.

HABITAT: willow and poplar riparian associations.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle July/late August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Studied in Japan (Fukuda et al., 1982). Foodplants: Salix and Populus. Larva hibernates at the third instar in bark crevices on foodplant trunks. Pupa: light-green with yellowish streaks along wing case margins and along a convex ventral side.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 26-39 mm. All spots and bands on wing upperside are ochre-yellow or fulvous; on hind wing the band outer edge as a rule with blunt fractures or straight.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: ssp. irtyshika Korshunov, 1982 ranges in West Siberia, it differ from East-European butterflies by wider fulvous submarginal bands; ssp. substituta Butler, 1873 inhabits E Transbaikalia and the southern Far East, it is characterized by a darker ground colour, a distinct pattern on hind wing underside, and a well expressed black ocellus at the anal angle. In Priamurye and Primorye A. metis tends to form local forms to some extent approaching A. ilia. According to V.V. Dubatolov's opinion, it was such forms which have been described as the following subspecies of other species: abramovi Kurentzov, 1970, described as subspecies of A. iris from the Lower Priamurye (the Goryun River) and the coastal regions of the Sikhote-Alin' mountain chain (the Samarga River), and krylovi Kurentzov, 1937, described as subspecies of A. ilia from the northern coastal regions of the Sikhote-Alin'. A form with much widened fulvous bands is not frequent in S Primorye. From the Kunashir the taxon doii Matsumra, 1928 has been described.

Type species: Athyma nycteis Ménétriés, 1859.

A monotypical East-Asiatic genus.

TYPE LOCALITY: the Amur.

RANGE: Priamurye (from the Shilka and Argun' Rivers junction downstream to the Goryun River), Primorye, NE China, N Korea.

HABITAT: valley broad-leaved forests and montane mixed forests with participation of the elm.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle July/middle August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Priamurye (Graeser, 1888). Foodplants: Ulmus propinqua. Larva: up to 52 mm long; dark-green with light slanting streaks on sides; with pairs of spiny processes on segments 6-12, those on segments 6, 8, and 11 being larger, and two long caudal spines; head with two long horns ending with rounded tubercles directed forward; head and back set wt. short spinules, those on head sides being longer and denser; there are thin yellowish hairs at spiracles; pupa: whitish-green, resembles that of A. ilia or A. iris, abdomen back with a row of blunt projections.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 32-39 mm. Wing upperside dark- brown with white bands; wing underside brownish, there is no ocellus at hind wing anal angle; fore wing outer margin slightly concave.

SYSTEMATIC NOTE: Athyma cassiope, described together with A. nycteis, is now considered by an aberration of the latter.

Type species: Limenitis pratti Leech, 1890.

A monotypical East-Asiatic genus.

TYPE LOCALITY: Central China.

RANGE: The Sikhote-Alin' mountain chain northwards to the Terney District (the Shumnyy spring), N, E and Central China, N Korea. A local species.

HABITAT: wide and windless brook valleys in the belt of montane Korean stone pine/broad-leafed mixed forests at 400-1000 m above sea level on smooth elevations. Imagines have a strong flight, especially active in sunny weather, often descend to wet ground; females mostly keep to tree crowns.

FLIGHT PERIOD: prolonged, middle July/September.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Primorye by M.M. and M.A. Omel'ko. Foodplant: Pinus koraiensis. Eggs: roundish, ochre- coloured, fine dimpled; laid singly in the second half of the day on the needle tips in lower and middle parts of crowns of the Korean stone pine trees of different ages. The larva hatches on 10-12 day, it is 3.7 mm long, ochre-coloured with a black glossy head and longitudinal rows of short bristles. For first 1.5-3 hr it eats its chorion, then 2-3 days it rests at a needle apex, then moves to its base and starts to feed on needles in the evening or at night; 1st molt occurs 11-12 days after hatches, 2nd molt 15-16 days after previous one; after each molt it eats its left skins. The larva feeds until middle November, hibernates at the third instar, continues feeding on the first half of April and pupates in fifth instar in early June on branches in the close vicinity of the place of feeding. Mature larva: up to 40 mm long, with dark-brown sides and a dark-sandy back; the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th segments dorsally bear pairs of spines 3.5-4 mm long; the other segments - pairs of prominences about 1 mm; there are dark-olive spots at spine and prominence bases; the head is olive-grey with a pair of short horns. It camouflages well on a pine branch. Pupa: about 27 mm long, dark-grey with a darker head and the two fore segments of the thorax; the 4th-6th abdominal segments bear dorsally pairs of button-like tubercles; head with face concavities instead of horns.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 30-37 mm. Wing upperside dark- brown with a transversal row of red spots and, proximally of it, a row of white ones; hind wing underside has a narrow red postdiscoidal band.

SYTEMATIC NOTE: Primorye is inhabited by ssp. eximia Moltrecht, 1909 (= Ussuriensis jefremovi Nekrutenko, 1960). Its conspecificity to S. pratti was stated by Prof. T. Fujioka.

Type species: Papilio populi Linnaeus, 1758.

F.w.l.: 22-45 mm. Wing upperside dark-brown, almost black, with white bands. Fore wing with discoidal vein. Females larger than males, with white marking wider. Flight period usually in middle summer, in our climate in a single brood. Similarly to Apatura species, these butterflies are attracted by rotting organic matter and, in hot weather, by wet ground, where they form small swarms. In the majority of species males are seen more frequently than females, which behave more secretly.

The larvae of our species develop on Lonicera, Spiraea, less frequently on Salicaceae, hibernate at the third or fourth instar. Young larvae are dark, at the last instar as a rule green with paired processes or the back. Pupae bear a blunt prominence on the 2nd abdominal tergite and a pair of short horns on head.

A Holarctic genus with about 50 species, mostly in E Asia.

TYPE LOCALITY: Sweden.

RANGE: The temperate Eurasia, in Siberia as north as the middle taiga belt.

HABITAT: river banks, wood edges and open stands of different kinds of forests. The butterflies are most often seen on wet ground at forest roads and brook and river valleys. They can be rarely seen also on large inflorescences of Umbelliferae (Korshunov, 1969, and others). These butterflies migrate actively and so may occur in various open landscapes.

FLIGHT PERIOD: late June/early August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: quite thoroughly studied in N Russia still by I. Porchinskii (1892-1897). Foodplants: Populus - Populus tremula, P. nigra, P. alba reported for S Ural, P. tremula - for Siberia, P. amurensis, P. koreana, P. maximoviczi - for the Far East, rarely Salix. Eggs: greenish, covered with octagonal facets with a hair rising from each knot, laid singly, usually on leaf upperside at its tip about 2-4 m above the ground. Young larva: brown with tiny warts on each segment. At first it feeds on leaf mesophyl leaving all veins, later eats entire leaf plate leaving only the midrib, on which the larva often rests. The larvae molts before hibernation mostly twice, then it makes a shelter of rolled leaf parts, with an opening directed to the branch, and attaches it tightly to the hibernating bud. An overvintered larva is brown, more yellow-fulvous at both ends and a white transversal stripe in the middle of the body, much resembles a bird excrement. Having grown it becomes to resemble a twig. It feeds on entire leaves, including most part of the midrib, starting to eat them from the tip. When not feeding it rests on a well-illuminated branch in a S-like posture; being frightened it rolls behind. Mature larva: light- or dark-green with large brown areas and two rows of fleshy tubercles set with short hairs on 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 11th segments, besides, a pair of much greater spiny processes on the mesothorax protrudes forwards of the brown head; now it resembles a rolled leaf. Before pupation the larva removes an apical part of a leaf to make a triangular incision, densely covers the rest leaf with silk and fasten the margins with silk threads, so that the resulted tube is opened at the leaf base, and attaches itself for pupation to the midrib, with the head oriented to the removed leaf apex, rarely pupae are found on thin twigs. Pupa: yellowish-white or yellowish-brown with dark-grey brands of different sizes and a glossy orange drop-like projection, with black and yellow spots at its base, on the back at the abdomen base. Its phase lasts for 10-14 days.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 33-45 mm. Hind wing upperside has a submarginal row of orange-red lunular spots; the wing underside ground colour is brick-red; white bands sometimes much reduced (f. tremulae Esper, 1798).

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: Butterflies from Ural and Siberia, attributed to ssp. enapius Fruhstorfer, 1908, described from Altai (?= eumenius Fruhstorfer, 1908) differ from European ones by a somewhat widened white pattern and expansion of dark and greyish-blue elements over fulvous ones on hind wing underside. Ssp. ussuriensis Staudinger, 1887 is known from Primorye and Priamurye, which differs from the former only by some further widening of the white pattern.

TYPE LOCALITY: Primorye: the Narva Bay.

RANGE: Lower Priamurye (not upstream of the Minor Hinggan Mts.), Primorye, adjacent regions of NE China and N Korea. A local species.

HABITAT: edges and open stands in mixed and deciduous forests with a rich bush understory.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle July/middle August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Lonicera praeflorens, L. chrysantha (Kurentzov, 1970). The larvae were observed from late May to late June.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 28-35 mm. On fore wing upperside cell contains one elongate white spot; hind wing upperside with a submarginal band composed of light lunules.

ETYMOLOGY: A.K. Moltrecht (1873-1937) - an amateur entomologist who traveled in Primorye in 1903-1930.

TYPE LOCALITY: W Altai: the settlement Ust'-Bukhtarminsk.

RANGE: W Altai: the upper Irtysh basin upstream of the city Ust'-Kamenogorsk, on Russian territory reported for the environs of the town Zmeinogorsk and the settlement Kolyvan, then, after a great range gap, E Zabaikalye, Priamurye, the southern ranges of the mountains of Bureya, Primorye, Central and NE China, Korea.

HABITAT: in Altai, where this species is rare: book valleys and mountain slopes at 200-800 m above sea level with honeysuckle shrubbery, from where the butterflies often penetrate to open places. At hot daytime they keep to wet round, rest on stones and bushes, their feeding was observed on Spiraea crenata, Heracleum dissectum, etc. In the southern Far East: montane oak woods, valley broad-leaved, mixed or, rarely, small-leafed forests. The imagines often visit the flowers of Sorbaria sorbifolia and Spiraea.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle June/middle July in W Altai; early July/middle August in the Far East.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in W Altai by P. Gorbunov and Y. Shevnin. Foodplants: Lonicera tatarica in W Altai; in the Far East Spiraea media and S. salicifolia was reported (Kurentzov, 1970). Mature larva: light green with a wide dark-green band along the back and a pattern of black dots and strokes; there are 10 lengthwise rows of branched spines: three rows of light- coloured spines on either side and four rows on the back: two external ones consist of long (6-7 mm) dark spines, two internal - of short spinules. Head light-brown with black eyes and a black triangle between them; set with light spinules, head top bears longer black spines. Thoracic legs black. Pupa: 22 mm long, nacreous with four rows of black spots on abdominal segments and along outer margins of wing cases; placed on thin foodplant branches. Its phase lasts for 10-12 days.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 26-31 mm. On fore wing upperside cell either contains a diffuse elongate white spot or lacks it; in Far Eastern specimens white band on hind wing about 5 mm wide.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: ssp. sydyi is known from W Altai, in the Far East there ranges ssp. latefasciata Ménétriés, 1859 with a much widened white pattern.

TYPE LOCALITY: Germany.

RANGE: Europe, S Ural (the basins of the Belaya and Sakmara Rivers) and, after a tremendous gap, Middle (westwards to Minor Hingan) and Lower Priamurye, Primorye, the Sakhalin, the Kunashir, NE China, Korea, Japan.

HABITAT: in South Ural: locally on wood edges and open slopes with the honeysuckle bushes; in the Far East: mixed and valley broad-leaved forests.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle June/middle July in South Ural, middle July/late August in the Far East.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Buckler, 1886; other authors). Foodplants: various species of Lonicera: L. tatarica, L. xylostelum reported for S Ural (Migranov, 1991); L. maackii, L. gibbiflora for the Far East (Kurentzov, 1970). Eggs: pale- green with 5-6-angled facets, beset with tiny hairs; laid singly on foodplant leaf upperside. Larva at the first three instars is brown and carries a peculiar shelter made out of its frass. Four instar larva: green, speckled with numerous white marks, with a light spiracular streak containing yellow spots on either side; on the back it bears two rows of spiny processes, black on thorax and brown on abdomen, those on segments 2, 3, 5, 10, and 11 being much larger; head brown, with minute spines. Pupa: green or olive-brown with brown spots and metallic brands; abdomen with brown sides; it bears a large blueish projection on the back of the first abdominal segment and a smaller one of the same colour on the head; thorax is humped on the back in front of it.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 23-30 mm. On fore wing upperside white band split at the middle owing to absence of a spot in one space; cell contains no white spot or has a small whitish spot at discal vein.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: the nominotypical subspecies ranges in the western part of the range; ssp. japonica Ménétriés, 1857 (= angustata Staudinger, 1887), differing by a narrower white pattern, inhabits the southern Far East, the Sakhalin and Kuriles.

TYPE LOCALITY: the mountains of Bureya.

RANGE: Priamurye (from the Zeya to the Goryun River), Primorye, Central and NE China, Korea.

HABITAT: valley broad-leaved and mixed forests.

FLIGHT PERIOD: late June/middle August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Lonicera maackii is reported (Graeser, 1888). The larvae were observed in May and June. Larva: resembles L. camilla, with reddish-brown branched spines, those on segment 3 being double and larger. Pupa: evenly white, very nacreous, especially on wing cases.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 25-32 mm. On fore wing upperside contains two white spots, distal of which stretched lengthwise; on hind wing underside there are no black spots at wing base. Similar species: Limenitis helmanni, L. doerriesi.

TYPE LOCALITY: Primorye.

RANGE: Primorye, N China, N Korea. A local species.

HABITAT: open stands in montane mixed and deciduous forests, sometimes at rock outcrops.

FLIGHT PERIOD: July-August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Lonicera praeflorens is known (Kurezov, 1970).

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 23-32 mm. On fore wing upperside cell contains two white spots, area between them noticeably suffused by red scales; white bands wider than in L. helmanni, about 5 mm on hind wing in males; hind wing underside with black spots at wing base, as different from L. amphissa.

ETYMOLOGY: Fritz Doerries (1851-1949), a naturalist from Hamburg who, together with two his brother, collected butterflies in Primorye, Priamurye, and Zabaikalye in 1877-1886.

TYPE LOCALITY: W Altai: the settlement Ust'-Bukhtarmisk.

RANGE: W and N Altai Mts., the so-called Kuznetskoe upland, including almost lowland area at the upper Ob' River right bank at Barnaul, Tal'menka, Novosibirsk, the mountains of East Kazakhstan (westwards to the North Tien-Shan), E Transbaikalia, the southern ranges of the mountains of Bureya, Primorye, Central and NE China, Korea, reported for Japan.

HABITAT: in the western part of its range the species locally occur at riparian thickets of honeysuckle, bushy hills and mountain slopes, on meadows in relic forest associations with the participation of linden (Tilia sibirica); in the Far East these butterflies inhabit various biotopes, mostly mixed and deciduous forests, reaching the tree-line in the mountains.

FLIGHT PERIOD: late June/late July or early August in the western range, early July/early September in the Far East.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Lonicera tatarica in Altai, L. maackii in the Far East (Kurentzov, 1970). According to observations of P. Gorbunov in W Altai, mature larva resembles that of Limenitis camilla, it is bright-green with greenish- white stripe on either side of abdomen and whitish-green prolegs; segments 2, 3, 5, 10, and 11 bear light-green or reddish spiny processes 2-3 mm long; head whitish with four vertical reddish-brown stripes, set with minute spinules two of which, above eyes, are dark and longer. For pupation the larva usually attaches itself on leaf underside to the main vein. Pupa: 19 mm long, green, with stripes on either sides of the abdomen, drop-like tubercle on the back and horns on the head reddish. Its phase lasts for 10 days.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 24-32 mm. Cell on fore wing upperside contains two white spots and no red suffusion; white bands rather narrow, about 3-4 mm on hind wing in males; hind wing underside with black spots at wing base. Similar species: Limenitis doerriesi, L. amphissa.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: ssp. helmanni ranges in South Siberia; ssp. duplicata Staudinger, 1892 - in the southern Far East. The taxon pryeri Moore, 1877 refers to the Chinese fauna.

TYPE LOCALITY: the Amur.

RANGE: Middle and Lower Priamurye (known from the Bureya River to the village Kiselevka), Primorye, Central and NE China, Korea. Rather a rare species.

HABITAT: intermontane valleys and open tree stands in montane, the Korean stone pine/broad leafed forests at 700-800 m above sea level and at higher altitudes in dark-needle taiga, in northern range at lower altitudes.

FLIGHT PERIOD: late June/early August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Lonicera.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 22-29 mm. Cell on fore wing upperside contains two white spots; white bands are narrow, about 1.5-2 mm wide on hind wing in males, band on fore wing split into separate spots.

ETYMOLOGY: E.F. Homeyer - a zoologist, explorer of the Far East, E and S Sibiria.

Type species: Papilio aceris Esper,1783].

F.w.l.: 22-45 mm in our species. Wings substantially elongate, their upperside dark-brown, almost black, with white or yellow bands and separate spots; fore wing has no discoidal vein, its outer margin usually slightly convex. Similarly to Limenitis species, in hot weather these butterflies congregate on damp places on banks or roads in the woods and are attracted by rotting organic matter and flowing out tree sap, and, in a hot weather, by wet ground, where they form small swarms. The butterflies have a peculiar soaring mode of flying.

Eggs laid singly, usually on leaf tips of the foodplants. The larva lives solitarily in a shelter made out of a leaf as follows: it eat the incisions from either side of a leaf to the central vein and down the edges of the resulting lobes together with silken threads. The larvae hibernate at the third or fourth instars; they are variously coloured and bear pairs of processes on 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 11th abdominal segments. Pupa: short and stout, with convex wing cases and usually a pair of short horns on the head.

The genus includes more than 100 species from Eurasia, Africa and Australia, the majority of which inhabit East and South Asia.

TYPE LOCALITY: Lower Povolzhyethe lower Volga basin]: the mountain Kabatskaya, environs of Usolye, Shigonskii District, Samara Region.

RANGE: The temperate Eurasia, in Siberia as north as the southern taiga belt; Japan.

HABITAT: meadow patches, open tree stands, wood edges, and river valleys in the various type forests, mostly open. These butterflies tend to rest on broad leaves of herbs and often visit the inflorescences of Apiaceae for feeding.

FLIGHT PERIOD: early June/middle July, in a single brood, in the most part of Siberia; in South Ural and the southern Far East two broods develop, late May/late June and July/August, respectively. In Primorye the second brood butterflies are smaller and more numerous.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Lang, 1884; other authors). Foodplants: Lathyrus vernus, less frequently other Fabaceae: Vicia, Caragana. Eggs: greenish, covered with hairs and white specks, laid on the surface or tips of the foodplant leaves. The larvae before hibernation, which occurs among the leaf fall, live in leaf-made shelters. Mature larva: greenish, brownish-grey or yellowish-brown with a whitish-green "saddle" on the back and spiny projections on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 11th segments. Pupa: short, ground-yellow or yellowish with mate golden bloom, with two spots on the head and numerous ones on the thorax; wing cases margined by brown line.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 20-27 mm. On fore wing upperside there is an even row of small white spots along outer margin and two large triangular spots in cell; on hind wing there are two well developed bands.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: ssp. sappho inhabits S Ural and Sieria. Butterflies from the southern Far East are characterized by somewhat reduced outer band on hind wing, especially in the second brood. Some authors referred them to ssp. intermedia Pryer, 1877, described from Central China, presence of which in our fauna is doubtful.

TYPE LOCALITY: the Amur River: "Marienpost".

RANGE: Middle Priamurye (from the Zeya to the Goryun Rivers), Primorye, Central and NE China, Korea, Japan.

HABITAT: mixed and valley broad-leaved forests.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle June/early August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Japan (Fukuda et al., 1982). Foodplants: Acer mono, A. japonicum, Carpinus cordata. Eggs: blueish with light and dark dots, laid singly on the foodplant leaf tips. Larva: yellowish-brown with four pairs of processes on the back. Pupa: contrastedly coloured, with a pale-brown thorax and abdomen and darker wing cases with conspicuous light veins.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 27-35 mm. On fore wing upperside cell contains an even and narrow white stripe, there are no white spots in front of it at costal margin; on hind wing submarginal band consists of relatively large white spots. Similar species: N. philyroides.

TYPE LOCALITY: Primorye and the Amur.

RANGE: Priamurye (from the Amursko-Zeyskoe Plateau to the Goryun Rivers), the southern ranges of the mountains of Bureya, Primorye, E China, N Korea.

HABITAT: wood edges and open stands in mixed forests, montane oak woods, bushy mountain slopes.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle June/middle August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Corylus manshurica (Graeser, 1888), C. heterophylla (E. Novomodnyi).

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 28-35 mm. On fore wing upperside cell contains an even white stripe, there are two small white spots in front of its distal end at costal margin; on hind wing submarginal band consists of relatively large white spots. Similar species: N. philyra.

TYPE LOCALITY: Primorye, the Ussuri River.

RANGE: Primorye (northwards along the coast to the Kievka River and southwards along the Usury River to Khabarovsk) and the adjacent regions of NE China. In N Primorye this is a rare species

HABITAT: river valleys, clearings and edges in montane mixed forests.

FLIGHT PERIOD: late June/middle August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Primorye by M.M. and M.A. Omel'ko. Foodplant: Corylus heterophylla. Eggs: spherical with a complicated knobby sculpture, laid singly at leaf margins. Larvae, 2-3 mm long, hatch after 7-10 days. A young larva eats the egg chorion and then constructs a shelter. For this purpose it makes two long cuts from leaf margins to the central (or lateral) vein and cuts slightly the latter; then it makes two more cuttings on either side of the almost cut-off apical part of the leaf, fasten its edges with silk and so forms a shelter, which soon fades. The larva eats edges of its shelter for 3-4 days and molts in it on 9-13th day. Then the larva eats its shelter and constructs a new one, this repeats also on 2nd and 3rd molts so that the larva moves towards the leaf base. In August there often rests only a leaf petiole with the shelter on it. In September, before hibernation, the larva spins the shelter and the petiole with a silk and fasten it to the twig. Before hibernation the larva is about 5 mm long, brown with a dark head and with processes on both ends of the body. After hibernation the larva is at first little active and feeds on faded parts of the shelter, then on young buds, but most time it spends in the shelter. After hibernation the larva becomes light-ochre-coloured with light dashes on sides, that makes it similar either to a faded shelter or young pinkish-violet buds. In middle May the larva abandons the shelter for leaf upperside, where keeps to brown spots, common on leaves of C. heterophylla, on which it is hardly noticeable. The last 5th molts occurs on leaf upperside in late May. 2-3 days before pupation the larva moves to leaf underside, where pupates. Pupa: generally nacreous, 19-20 mm, its stage lasts for 13-14 days.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 24-30 mm. On fore wing upperside white stripe in cell incised at its fore margin, white spots in front of its distal end are absent; on hind wing submarginal band obscure, being a diffuse streak disappearing to costal edge.

ETYMOLOGY: Adolph Speyer - a German entomologist of XIX century.

TYPE LOCALITY: Austria: Cranial.

RANGE: The non-tropical Eurasia northwards to the middle taiga belt, the Sakhalin, the Careless, Japan. In 1994 the species was reported for the Polar Ural (A. Tatarinov).

HABITAT: river and brook valleys, bushy mountain slopes, wood edges and openings, in the mountains goes as high as 1700 m altitude.

FLIGHT PERIOD: two broods in the forest-steppe zone, in June and August; one brood in the forest zone and in the mountains, in late Jun/late July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Altai (Y. Korshunov, P. Gorbunov). Foodplants: Spiraea, such as S. salicifolia, S. hypericifolia, S. crenata, S. aquilegifolia, less frequently Filipendula ulmaria, Cotoneaster. Eggs: thimble-shaped, at first blue, a day after become greyish apically and the sculpture becomes visible; laid singly on leaf either side on upper branches of a foodplant bush. The larva makes cuts from either margins of the leaf, 10- 15 mm from its tip, to the central vein, fasten the edges with silk, some threads going to the petiole base, and so forms a shelter. The larva molts 1-2 times and hibernates at the 3rd instar in this a shelter, having closed it from all sides and span it with silk to fasten to the twig. Mature larva: brownish- grey with a yellowish back, lateral stripe on either side, and slanting streaks on segments 4-11; segments 2, 3, 5, and 11 bear paired processes. Pupation occurs on thin branches of the foodplant. Pupa (according to observation of O. Kosterin in SE Zabaikal'ye): with two broadening in the middle part of the body so that wing case margins are much protruding, light-brown with a darker reticulate ornament, with a dark brand in the middle of wing case and several pairs of dark dots on the back; there is a sharp crest along the back, dark in the fore part of the body and white with brown rim further; abdomen with darker lengthwise stripes on ventral side and either lateral side and with dark slanting streaks on abdominal segment upperside.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 20-29 mm. On fore wing upperside cell usually contain either one white spot at its distal end or a number of small spots; on hind wing submarginal band absent or there are only traces of it, medial band is 3-5 mm wide in males; on hind wing underside there is a light brand along fore margin; black dots absent.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: Ssp. coenobita Goeze, 1779, close to the nominotypical and having widest white pattern, inhabits Ural, West Siberian Lowland and the Kuznetskoe upland; in Altai, Sayans and eastwards ssp. magnata Heyne in Ruhl, 1895 ranges, with a reduced white pattern on wing upperside but well expressed white submarginal lunules on hind wing underside; SE Zabaikalye, Priamurye, Primorye, the Sakhalin and Kuriles are inhabited by : ssp. bergmani Bryk, 1942, resembling coenobita with a wide white pattern. The status of Neptis kusnetzovi Kurentzov, 1949, described by two males from a spruce/fir forest of the Middle Sikhote-Alin' Mts. and combining the characters of N. rivalries and N. pryeri, is not clear.

Type locality: Japan.

RANGE: Priamurye (from the lower Selemdzha River (Sviridov, 1981) to the town Sofiisk in the Amur lower flow), Primorye, Central and NE China, Korea, Japan.

HABITAT: wood edges and openings in birch/oak, broad-leaved and mixed, mostly montane, forests.

FLIGHT PERIOD: late June/early August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Japan (Fukuda et al., 1982). Foodplants: Spiraea. Eggs: greyish, covered with hairs, laid singly on leaf margins and tips. Larva: dark, resembles N. rivalries but with longer processes on the back; hibernates at the third instar.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 21-30 mm. On fore wing upperside white stripe in cell split into four spots; hind wing underside has 8-10 large black spots at base.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: For Primorye and Priamurye ssp. andetria Fruhstorfer, 1909 (= kusnetzovi Kurentzov, 1949) is reported, which differs from the nominotypical one by a smaller size, reduction of submarginal band on hind wing upperside and darker ground colour o hind wing underside.

ETYMOLOGY: H. Pryer - an English lepidopterologist of XIX century, an author of works on Japanese fauna.

TYPE LOCALITY: China.

RANGE: Priamurye (at Blagoveshchensk, Kabarovsk, Nikolaevsk-na- Amure), Primorye, Central and NE China, Korea, Japan.

HABITAT: orchards with fruit trees, valley broad-leaved and pine/apricot forests.

FLIGHT PERIOD: July/late August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Japan (Fukuda et al., 1982). Foodplants: Prunus, Armeniaca, besides (Kurentzov, 1970), Spiraea and Malus were also reported. Eggs: blueish-green, covered with small hairs and white knobs; laid singly on foodplant leaf margins. The larva overwinters at the third instar near a hibernating bud, then it constructs a shelter. Mature larva: greenish with a brown ornament and four pairs of processes on the back. Pupa: pale-brown, suspended on a foodplant branch.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 31-41 mm. On fore wing upperside white stripe in cell fractured; at fore wing apex there is a white spot in males and a streak in females; on hind wing submarginal band consists of relatively large white spots.

TYPE LOCALITY: The mountains of Bureya.

RANGE: Middle Priamurye, the southern ranges of the mountains of Bureya, Primorye, Central and NE China, Korea.

HABITAT: montane oak woods, other types of broad-leaved and mixed forests. The butterflies keep to wood edges, open stand of trees, but occur under the wood canopy as well.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle June/August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplant in Priamurye: Querqus mongolica (Graeser 1888).

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 31-43 mm. Spots and bands on wing upperside orange-yellow; on hind wing underside, at the base, at distal end of an elongate blueish basal spot there is one relatively large oval brand of the same colour. Similar species: N. tchetverikovi, N. themis.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: ssp. ussuriensis Kurentzov, 1970, described from Primorye, most probably is a synonym for the nominotypical one.

TYPE LOCALITY: Primorye: the Ussuri headwaters.

RANGE: E Zabaikalye (the Shilka and Argun' basins), Priamurye, the mountains of Bureya, the Sikhote-Alin', NE China, Korea.

HABITAT: open woods, wood edges in birch, broad-leaves, mixed and dark-needle forests, in the mountains up to 1000 m above sea level.

FLIGHT PERIOD: prolonged, middle June/early September.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplant: Betula platyphylla (E Novomodnyi).

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 28-37 mm. Spots and bands on wing upperside are orange-yellow; on hind wing underside at the distal end of a short lengthwise blueish basal spot there are two or three small darker brands. Similar species: N. thisbe, N. themis.

ETYMOLOGY: Sergey Sergeevich Chetverikov (1880-1959) - a prominent Soviet geneticist and entomologist, he made a large collection of Lepidoptera and transferred it to Zoological Museum (St-Petersburg).

TYPE LOCALITY: W China: Siaolu.

RANGE: Priamurye (between the Zeya and Goryun Rivers), South Primorye, NE, S and Central China, Korea.

HABITAT: polydominant broad-leaved and mixed forests. The butterflies usually occur together with N. thisbe but substantially less frequently.

FLIGHT PERIOD: early July/middle August.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 27-35 mm. Spots and bands on wing upperside orange-yellow; on hind wing underside there is a lengthwise elongate blueish basal spot without brands at its distal end. Similar species: N. thisbe, N. tchetverikovi.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: Primorye is inhabited by the subspecies ilos Fruhstorfer, 1909.

Type species: Diadema raddei Bremer, 1861.

An East-Asian genus with two species.

TYPE LOCALITY: the mountains of Bureya.

RANGE: Middle and Lower Priamurye (between the Zeya and Goryun Rivers), the southern ranges of the mountains of Bureya, Primorye, the adjacent regions of NE China and N Korea.

HABITAT: edges and openings in valley or, less frequently, montane polydominant broad-leaved and mixed forests.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle June/middle August in Primorye, in Middle Priamurye late May/early August.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 33-42 mm. Both swing sides light- or dark- ash-grey with black veins.

ETYMOLOGY: Gustav Ivanovich Radde (1801-1859) - a well-known Russian naturalist, zoologist, and explorer of the Far East.

Our species are of an intermediate or relatively large size (f.w.l.: 16-34 mm), with wings brightly and variously coloured, red, fulvous, dark-brown and cherry colours predominating. Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed.

The larvae have 6-7 lengthwise rows of spines; the pupae bear pairs of sharp projections on the head and on the back of the abdominal segments and a large prominence on the back of the thorax. The imagines hibernate (except for Vanessa cardui), in many species they are capable of substantial migrations (sometimes transoceanic), therefore they are widely distributed, their populations are not considerably isolated from each other, and geographic variation is weak. The abundance of individuals in a given locality fluctuates substantially from year to year.

Type species: Papilio c-album Linnaeus, 1758.

Mostly a Holarctic genus with 15 species.

TYPE LOCALITY: Sweden.

RANGE: The non-tropical Eurasia northwards to the forest-tundra belt, the Sakhalin, the Kuriles, Japan.

HABITAT: various forest biotopes, river valleys, bogs, settlements, waste lands; in the north of East Siberia and the Far East - the riparian floodland poplar woods. Imagines migrate actively, occurring in any open landscape.

FLIGHT PERIOD: in the most part of Siberia in one brood, from late July to autumn and, after hibernation, until June (or, in the northern range, July). In southern localities the second brood is possible, the butterflies of which being more lightly coloured (f. hutchinsoni Robs. - in South Ural; f. lunigera Butl. - in Primorye). In July and early August in such localities one can sometimes observe the butterflies of both seasonal forms flying together, although in various ratios. In spring and autumn only the darker form can be found. It is thought (Moucha, 1979) that in Europe some larvae hatching from the eggs laid by overwintered butterflies develop rapidly to give rise to lighter second brood butterflies, while others result in darker butterflies appearing later; the lighter butterflies give offspring which develops also rapidly to result in the same darker individuals in autumn. Details of brood dynamics in Siberia is waiting an investigation.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied by many authors, by Y. Korshunov in Tomsk and Novosibirsk Region and Altai. Foodplants: mostly arboreal plants of different families, among which reported are: for W Europe: Humulus lupulus, Grossularia rectinata, Cerasus; for the taiga zone: Urtica dioica, U. urens, Salix caprea, Ribes rubrum, Rubus; for the Middle Volga Basin: Ulmus glabra, Corylus allavena; for W Altai: Lonicera; for Primorye: Ulmus propinqua. Eggs: green, oval with ten light lengthwise ribs, laid singly on the foodplant leaves. Young larva: mottled, with yellow spots and blueish, white, and black dots on a dark background, and with seven rows of branched spines. It keeps to leaf underside or draws leaf edges together with silken threads to make a shelter. Last instar larva: bicoloured: the first five segments yellow, the rest ones white, either side with two reddish lengthwise stripes; spines light, branched. Pupa: reddish-grey or pale-brown with three pairs of brilliant spots on a strongly bent back; head and thorax with prominences.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 21-29 mm. Wing upperside fulvous or brick-red with dark spots; outer margin with blunt teeth of different sizes; wing underside greyish-black (spring form) or yellowish-brown (summer form), with a white C-shaped mark in the center.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The nominotypical subspecies ranges on the most part of Eurasia (the form kultukensis Kleinschmidt, 1929, described from Baikal, is its synonym); ssp. hamigera Butler, 1877 (= ssp. sachalinensis Matsumura, 1915) is reported for the southern Far East, the Sakhalin and Kuriles; the butterflies from Priamurye and Primorye differs from western ones by a larger size and a widened black pattern in a summer form, those from the Sakhalin and S Kuriles approach to Japanese ones by longer wing teeth and a more motley ground colour of wing underside in a hibernating form.

TYPE LOCALITY: Primorye: the Suchan River.

RANGE: Priamurye (from the Amur-Zeya Plateau to the Goryun River), the southern ranges of the mountains of Bureya, Primorye, NE and Southern China, Korea, Japan.

HABITAT: different woody biotopes, orchards, parks, settlements, waste lands, dry meadows.

FLIGHT PERIOD: in one or two broods in July-October, and, after hibernation, until middle May.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Japan (Fukuda et al, 1982). Foodplants: Cannabis sativa, Humulus japonicus. Eggs: green with tiny white dots and lengthwise striae; laid singly on foodplant leaves or buds. Larva: lives in a rolled leaf; in the last instar it is dark-brown with yellowish streaks and seven rows of orange branched spines. Pupa: brown with darker streaks along wing cases and sides of abdomen; on dorsal side it bears sharp projections and small light knobs.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 22-29 mm. Wing upperside fulvous with dark spots; outer margin has sharp teeth of different sizes; wing underside black (spring form) or ochre- coloured (summer form) with a golden L- or C-shaped mark in the center.

Original description: "Type species: Papilio l-album Esper, 1780.

A monotypic Holarctic genus. The imago fore wing length is 26-32 mm. The wing shape and pattern resemble those of both Polygonia and Nymphalis genera. The wing outer margin is toothed. The wing upperside is reddish-fulvous with rather large black spots and a white spot at the costal margin of each wing. The wing bases are covered with dense soft hairs. The wing underside is brown, the postdiscoidal area being lighter, with dark strokes or reddish-brown.

The genus is named in the honour of a forester and entomologist Eugeniy Georgievich Rodd (1871-1933), an explorer of Altai and the Upper Priobye."

TYPE LOCALITY: Central Europe.

RANGE: The temperate Eurasia northwards to the middle taiga zone, the Sakhalin, Kuriles, Japan, the temperate N America; in its eastern range the species becomes in average more abundant.

HABITAT: various forest biotopes, in the mountains rises to the subalpine belt.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle July/September and, after hibernation, until middle May.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied by Y. Korshunov in Novosibirsk Region and Altai. Foodplants: Salix, Populus tremula are reported for Siberia; Ulmus propinqua and Betula mandshurica for the southern Far East (Kurentzov, 1970), for various parts of the range also reported are Alnus, Tilia, Acer, Humulus, Rumex, Fraxinus, Morus, Spiraea, Rosa, Sorbus, Rubus. Eggs: at first yellowish-green, later become blue; laid by 35-45 in twig- ringing batches. Young larva: dark with black spots and a row of white spots along the back, after each molt larva becomes more blueish and its spines - more light-coloured. Young larvae live gregariously on nests made out of silk-spun leaves, mature larvae live solitarily, they usually placed on a leaf edge in J- like posture Mature larva: ground colour varies from black to blueish-grey; body covered with yellow or reddish dots; its ventral side is fulvous-red or brown; a double yellow line goes along the back and a wide yellow stripe, split by segment divisions, along either side; head with yellowish dots and two yellow strokes; spines branched, yellowish with black tips; spiracles reddish or reddish-yellow; head is speckled with yellowish dots and bears two yellowish spinules. Pupa: yellowish-ochre coloured, with pairs of silvery spots on the metathorax and the second abdominal segment and with pointed prominences on the head, thorax and abdomen; suspended on the trunks and branches.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 27-32 mm. On upperside of all wings there is a white spot at costal margin; hind wing underside with a white L-shaped mark in the center.

Type species: Papilio polychloros Linnaeus, 1758.

Mainly a Holarctic genus with seven species.

TYPE LOCALITY: Sweden.

RANGE: Europe, N Africa, Anterior Asia, the Pamiro-Alai Mts., NE Kazakhstan (reported by V. Dubatolov for Pavlodar), South Ural, reported for S Siberia (for Altai by Elwes (1899) and Tomsk by M. Ruzskii (1937) but the species was not recorded there in recent decades, most probably these records referred to N. xanthomelas.

HABITAT: deciduous forests, settlements. Imagines migrate actively.

FLIGHT PERIOD: in a single brood from late June to autumn and, after hibernation, until May.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Ekstein, 1913 and others). Foodplants: Salix, Populus nigra, P. tremula, Ulmus, less frequently arboreal Rosaceae, such as Crataegus, Malus, Pyrus, Cerasus, Padus. Eggs: hemispherical, flattened beneath, with 10 vertical ribs, castane-coloured; laid by 20-60 on a foodplant branch about 2 m above the ground and higher. First instar larva: blackish-grey, set by dense hairs; after the first molt yellow spines appear. Mature larva: brownish-grey or greyish-blue, with fulvous-yellow lengthwise stripes on back and sides; spines, arranged into seven rows, are of the same colour, thin white hairs being noticeable between them. Pupa: reddish or brownish, usually with silvery and golden areas on the back; head projections are sharply pointed.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 25-31 mm. Wing upperside brick-red with black spots; hind wing upperside with brownish- fulvous basal area; legs black. Similar species: N. xanthomelas.

TYPE LOCALITY: Central Europe.

RANGE: The temperate and subtropical Eurasia, the Sakhalin, the Kuriles, Japan, more common the in eastern part of the range.

HABITAT: various forest biotopes, bogs. Imagines migrate actively occurring in diverse landscapes, for instance, in steppes or even arctic tundras. Their abundance fluctuates much from year to year, mass proliferations being recorded in the taiga zone of Middle and Eastern Siberia and the Far East.

FLIGHT PERIOD: from July to autumn and in spring after hibernation.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: mainly Salix species, besides, Lonicera and Cotoneaster were reported for W Altai, Urtica dioica - for Krasnoyarsk, Populus, Betulae, Alnus - for Europe. Females are fertilized before hibernation. Eggs: laid in spring by 100-1500 on thin foodplant branches. Young larvae live gregariously on nests made of silk-spun leaves. Mature larva (according to observation by P. Gorbunov in W Altai): dark with white or yellowish specks forming wide lengthwise stripes and light thin hairs; there are six rows of black spines, two upper rows containing largest spines; spines of the lowest row on segments 4-11 rising from fulvous spots; thoracic legs flavous. Being disturbed, the larva rises the fore part of the body and become immovable to resemble a twig. Pupa (as described by O. Berezina from Novosibirsk Region): glaucous-grey, with obscure pinkish-grey stripes along the back and sides and with thorax of the same colour, wing cases glaucous with traces of a darker reticulate ornament. there are 9 pairs of black spines with yellow tips on the back, 5th (on 3rd abdominal segment) being the largest, besides, there are a pair of spines on wing cases on the level of the mentioned largest back spines and a large pointed knob on dorsal side of mesothorax; head with two "horns"; spiracles black, there are rows of tiny black knobs above and beneath them.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 25-32 mm. Wing upperside brick- red with black spots; fore wing upperside with a reddish-brown basal area and apically with white spot at costal margin. Legs yellowish-grey. Similar species: N. polychloros.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The taxon sachalinensis Matsumura, 1925, was described from the Sakhalin, ssp. japonica Stichel, 1902, reported for the Kuriles.

TYPE LOCALITY: Sweden.

RANGE: The temperate Eurasia, the Sakhalin, the Kuriles, Japan, N. America. A migrating species having been observed as north as the southern tundras of the southern Yamal Peninsula, in NE Asia does not reach polar regions, absent from the Magadan Region and Kamchatka.

HABITAT: deciduous and mixed forests, birch/asp groves, pine woods, woody river valleys, gardens. Butterflies tend to drink sap leaking from wounded trees, sometimes visit flowers of Polygonum, Crepis sibirica, Sonchus, Helianthus annuus.

FLIGHT PERIOD: from middle June to autumn and, after hibernation, until June or, locally in the North, until July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Betula verrucosa, B. manshurica, B. dahurica, Salix, besides, from Europe (Niculescu, 1965) and N America reported are Populus, Alnus, Urtica, Humulus lupulus, Ulmus, Acer, Tilia, Fraxinus, Spiraea, Rosa, Sorbus, Rubus. Eggs: at first ochre-yellow, later become reddish-brown; laid by dense rings, containing up to 100 eggs, around the foodplant twigs. The larvae live gregariously until the last instar. Mature larva: dark with numerous white dots and a row of red or reddish-brown spots on the back of segment 3-10 and with six rows of black spines; ventral prolegs reddish-brown. In Siberia the larvae develop usually during July. Pupa: greyish or ochre- coloured, resembles N. xanthomelas but teeth-like projections on the head and abdomen are more long and more sharp.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 28-37 mm. Wing underside black, upperside dark-brown with a cherry tint, both with yellow or whitish marginal band; on upperside of both wing there is a row of blue spots distally of it.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: A little variable species; small butterflies from Yakutia were described under the name borealis Wnukowsky, 1927; those from the Sakhalin and Kuriles - as asopos Fruhstorfer, 1909.

Type species: Papilio atalanta Linnaeus, 1758.

The genus includes 9 species and has a world-wide distribution.

TYPE LOCALITY: Sweden.

RANGE: North and Central America, N Africa, Europe, Anterior Asia. In South and Middle Ural, the south of West Siberia to the Altai piedmonts and the Yenisei River known by occasional findings. In 40ths these butterflies appeared in mass quantities in the Omsk Region.

HABITAT AND FLIGHT PERIOD: imagines migrate actively occurring in various open landscapes, usually in the second half of summer, rarely in early spring after hibernation.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Lang, 1884; Eckstein, 1913, etc.) Foodplants: Urtica, also reported are Humulus, Parietaria (Urticaceae), Carduus, Cirsium, Helichrysum (Asteraceae), Salix. Eggs: greenish, almost spherical, with ten lengthwise ribs; laid singly on the foodplant leaves. Larva: black, red-brown, or yellow-green, with yellowish lateral stripes, yellow speckles, and rows of light spines rising from reddish warts; lives in a rolled and silk-fastened leaf. Pupa: grey or brown, with paired silvery spots on the back.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 26-32 mm. Wing upperside dark- brown or black; fore wing with a slightly bent red band of even width throughout, going from the middle of costal margin to anal angle.

TYPE LOCALITY: India.

RANGE: South Siberia east of the Pribaikalye (migrating specimens), the southern Far East, Kamchatka (migrating specimens), the Sakhalin, the Kuriles, Mongolia, China, Korea, Japan, India; known also from the Canary Islands and the Madeira. The imagines migrate actively.

HABITAT: mixed forests, river valleys with alder and poplar, as active migrants present in such habitats as wasting lands, parks, settlements, wood edges, other open isotopes, in Kamchatka - riparian poplar woods.

FLIGHT PERIOD: July-September and, after hibernation, in May.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Urtica urens, less frequently Populus maximoviczii (Kurentzov, 1970) and Alnus hirsuta (V. Ivonin) are known in the southern Far East , Urtica cannabifolia in SE Zabaikalye (O. Kosterin, V. Dubatolov). Eggs: blueish- green with light lengthwise striae; laid singly or in small batches on buds or young leaves of the foodplant. Mature larva (Kurentzov, 1970): brownish-black with yellowish marking and branched spines longer than in V. cardui. V. Ivonin described a larva from E Primorye (the village Bronvichi). It lived in a rolled and silk-spun leaf, feeds on its shelter and so changed it repeatedly; pupated in the same shelter: it was black with lateral yellow lines, muddy-yellow back set with small yellow dots, yellow spines. Pupa: light-brown with pale farinaceous bloom and nacreous paired knobs on the back.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 25-34 mm. Wing upperside dark- brown or black; fore wing with an irregular red band with broken inner margin, going from middle costal margin to anal angle.

TYPE LOCALITY: Sweden.

RANGE: Eurasia, Africa, Australia, N America, many islands, including the Sakhalin and Kuriles. Eastwards of Ural occur frequently in the temperate zone, but some migrating imagines reach tundras where they, however, can not establish the progeny.

FLIGHT PERIOD: Due to such a migrating activity the flight span and time of egg-laying and development of larvae much vary in different regions and in different years. Imagines, scarce or abundant, can be found from May to autumn.

HABITAT: mostly open places: forest openings and edges, river terraces, fields, settlements, the butterflies obviously tend to occupy local relief maxima and are frequently found on hill and mountain tops.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants (Scott, 1986; other authors): Asteraceae: Carduus, Cirsium, Arctium, Centaurea, Serratula, Xanthium, Echinops, Tanacetum, Achillea, Helianthus, Senecio; rarely Urticaceae (Urtica), Plantaginaceae (Plantago), Poaceae (Zea mays), Polygonaceae (Rumex), Eleagnaceae (Rhanmus), Malvaceae (Althea, Malva), Fabaceae (Lupinus, Medicago, Trifolium), Boraginaceae (Lappula), Lamiaceae (Mentha, Salvia, Stachys), or Rosaceae (Fragaria, Prunus), and some plants of the families Apiaceae, Brassicaceae, Rutaceae. The cases are known when the larvae of this species brought about a considerable damage to melons, pulses, tomato, mint, and other cultivated plants. Following traits were reported from Europe: Eggs: greenish, spherical with 16 lengthwise ribs; laid singly on the foodplant leaves. Mature larva: grey or black with a double yellow stripe on the back and a streak of the same colour on either side, with yellowish specks, short hairs and six rows of whitish branched spines; head greyish-black. Pupa: light- brown with paired golden prominences on the back, more elongate than in V. atalanta; its stage lasts for about fortnight. In our climate hibernation usually occurs at the pupa stage. The second last instar larva was collected at Novosibirsk on Lappula sp. O. Berezina. The larva is dark-grey with a complicated ornament and 9 rows of spines; those of 5 upper rows pinkish-red with yellow tips, those of four lower rows (two rows on either side) reddish-yellow (the difference in spine colour is a very vivid character), with branches yellowish basally and black apically. On 2nd and 3rd thoracic segments spines of a medial back row absent; 1st segment lacks spines. Each segment behind a spine ring has two narrow yellow "belts" margined with narrow interrupted black lines, there are also black dots between the belts, they fuse between each other on thoracic segments. A wide double interrupted yellow stripe goes along the back, it is divided by a narrow black line; besides, on either side lengthwise yellow lines go through 2ns and 3rd spine rows (counting from beneath). Below the lower line the colour is evenly light grey. Spines of five upper rows spring from black semirings, on which lengthwise yellow streaks are present just in front of the spines of 3rd and 4th rows (from beneath). Spiracles black, light rimmed. Head black, with dense light hairs. All legs yellowish.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 25-34 mm. Wing upperside pale- orange with separate black spots; fore wing apically has five white spots of different sizes.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: little expressed, ssp. japonica Stichel, 1909 was reported for the Sakhalin and S Kuriles.

Type species: Papilio urticae Linnaeus, 1758.

A Holarctic genus with 4 species.

TYPE LOCALITY: Sweden.

RANGE: The temperate Eurasia, the Sakhalin, the Kuriles, Japan.

HABITAT: river valleys, and also man-affected biotopes, settlements. Following the man and the nettle this species deeply penetrates into taiga regions reaching the Polar Circle. In the mountains these butterflies, probably migrants, occur above the tree-line, usually on screes and rock crests.

FLIGHT PERIOD: in spring, summer, and autumn, i.e. almost contiguously during the warm season; in the North and mountains - in one brood, in the southern range - in two broods.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Urtica dioica, U. urens, U. angustifolia, U. canabifolia, rarely (observation in Europe) Humulus lupulus, Cannabis sativa, Ribes, Fragaria vesca. Eggs: greenish, cylindrical, laid by 100-200 on a foodplant leaf. The larvae are gregarious until the last instar; the young ones are dark with greyish spots and black spines. Mature larva: black with a double yellow-green lengthwise stripe on the back and on either side and with seven rows of light branched spines. Pupa: angular, varying in colour from light-yellow to dark-brown, with a golden bloom; usually found on walls or fences.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 20-27 mm. Wing upperside brick-red with separate black and yellow spots; hind wing basal half black.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The nominotypical subspecies ranges in Siberia and the Far East; butterflies from subpolar regions and NE Asia, have a somewhat widened black pattern that characterizes the race polaris Staudinger, 1871. The Sakhalin and the South Kuriles are inhabited by ssp. connexa Butler, 1881, described from Japan, probably being a separate species; it differs from continental butterflies by a wavy black band across fore wing, formed by fusion of two discal spots.

Type species: Papilio io Linnaeus, 1758.

A monotypical Palearctic genus.

TYPE LOCALITY: Sweden.

RANGE: The temperate Eurasia, northwards to the northern taiga zone, the Sakhalin, the Kuriles, Japan.

HABITAT: river valleys, various open and woody man-affected biotopes, settlements.

FLIGHT PERIOD: from middle July to autumn and, after hibernation, until late June.

PREIMAGNAL PHASES: studied by Y. Korshunov in the upper Ob' basin and other authors. Foodplants: Urtica dioica, U. angustifolia, rarely Humulus lupulus. Eggs: greenish with 9 lengthwise ribs, resembling a gooseberries in shape, laid in large batches by 100-400, usually on the foodplant leaf underside. The larvae until the last instar live gregariously on the nests made of silk-spun leaves. Mature larva: black with numerous white dots and six rows of black branched spines. Pupa: varying in colouration from yellow to brown, with golden bloom and spots; sometimes hibernates.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 25-30 mm. Wing upperside cherry-red; each wing has separate yellow and black spots and, apically, a large "peacock eye" complex ocellus.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: butterflies from the southern Far East, the Sakhalin, and the South Kuriles, are attributed to ssp. geischa Stichel, 1908, described from Japan.

Type species: Papilio canace Linnaeus, 1763.

A monotypical genus

TYPE LOCALITY: E China.

RANGE: South Primorye (north to the Ussuri River lower reaches at the Khrkhtsirskii Nature Reserve), Central, South, and North- East China, Korea, Japan.

HABITAT and FLIGHT PERIOD: the imagines occur rarely in May, August, and September in broad-leaved and mixed forests.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Japan (Fukuda et al., 1982). Foodplants: Smilax oldhami, Lilium tigrinum, Streptopus amplexifolius in Japan, Smilax maximoviczi, Streptopus amplexifolius, Lilium lauciflorum in Primorye (E. Novomodnyi), other Liliaceae. Eggs: greenish with light lengthwise streaks, laid singly on shaded foodplant leaf upperside. The larvae live in rolled leaves. Mature larva: dark with reddish-brown ornament and six rows of yellowish-white spines with black branches. Pupa: brown with golden spots, dorsal side dark-brown; abdomen with reticulate ornament; thorax with sharp projection; suspended underneath a foodplant leaf.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 25-32 mm. Wing upperside is dark-brown with a blueish band going through both wings.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARATION: Primorye is inhabited by ssp. charonides Stichel, 1908.

Type species: Papilio levana Linnaeus, 1758.

These butterflies exhibit a well-known example of great seasonal dimorphism. Having close sizes (f.w.l.: 15-22 mm), the imagines of the spring and summer broods are strikingly different in wing colouration: wing upperside in the former is fulvous with dark spots; while in the latter it is black with white bands. Wing underside in both broods is reddish-brown with a network of yellowish stria along and crossing the veins and with lilac spots at the outer margin.

Eggs: green, ribbed almost spherical, laid in 3-6 adjacent columns of 4-20 eggs each on the foodplant leaf underside. The young larvae live gregariously until the last instar; hibernation occurs in the pupal stage. The pupae bear paired pointed projections on the head and the dorsal side of the abdominal segments; those of the summer brood hibernate.

A Palaearctic genus with six species.

TYPE LOCALITY: Germany.

RANGE: The temperate Eurasia northwards to the forest-tundra belt, the Sakhalin, Japan.

HABITAT: river valleys, banks of water bodies, edges and openings in light woods, turf bogs, settlements, gardens, wasting lands; in the mountains penetrates along brook valleys to the tree-line.

FLIGHT PERIOD: in southern lowlands in May/June and July/August; the summer brood often is less abundant. In taiga and mountains regions the spring brood flies in June/July while the summer brood is as a rule missing.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Urtica, rarely Humulus lupulus. Young larva: black, covered with tiny whitish dots and with light marking along the back. Mature larva: black, reddish- or light-brown with seven rows of black, blueish, or yellowish branched spines; head also bears two long dark spines; yellow- brown strokes or dots can be expressed over the body. Pupa: brown with a marble ornament and dark spots at wing cases.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 15-22 mm. In male genitalia caudal process of valva is tooth-shaped (Table ). Spring brood (f. levana Ochsenheimer, 1807): fore wing upperside apically with two fused white spots and a row of white dots on a dark background. Summer brood (f. prorsa L.): rows of red spots on wing upperside absent or weakly expressed, white bands narrower than in A. burejana. Individuals of the third brood may appear which have an appearance transitory between the two former broods but closer to prorsa (f. porima Ochsenheimer, 1807). Specimens in which reddish-yellow line along wing margin is absent or rudimentary and in which the light pattern is reduced should be attributed to ab. obscura Fenton in Butler, 1881. Similar species: A. burejana.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The nominotypical subspecies ranges over the most part of the territory considered; the southern Far East, the Sakhalin and the South Kuriles are inhabited by ssp. wladimiri Kardakov, 1928 (with the summer form borgesi Kardakov, 1928), differing by somewhat lighter colouration of wing upperside ground colour in the spring form and a wider white band in the summer form.

TYPE LOCALITY: Priamurye: the mountains of Bureya.

RANGE: Middle and Lower Priamurye, Primorye, the Sakhalin, the South Kuriles, Central and NE China, Korea, Japan.

HABITATS: meadows in broad-leaved and mixed forests; in the mountains reaches the dark-needle taiga belt.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle May/middle June and middle July/late August, in average this species flies a fortnight later than A. levana. In the mountains a single brood flies in June/July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Japan (Fukuda et al., 1982). Foodplants: Urtica. Mature larva: dark with orange spots at spiracles and black spines longer than in A. levana. Pupa: dark- brown with lighter areas on the sides.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 17-22 mm. In male genitalia caudal process of valva large, club-shaped and barbed (Table ). Spring brood (f. burejana): fore wing upperside apically with a yellow spot at outer margin fused with fulvous ground colour in its lower part. Summer brood (f. fallax Janson, 1882): rows of elongate red spots are well expressed on wing upperside, one on fore wing and two on hind one. Specimens with traits transitory between those of the two broods are known. Similar species: A. levana.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: In Priamurye, Primorye and the Sakhalin ssp. burejana ranges; a Japanese ssp. strigosa Butler, 1866 is reported for the S Kuriles; later ssp. kurilicola Bryk, 1942 was described from the Kunashir, differing from continental butterflies by a more developed black patter.

Butterflies of intermediate size predominantly. Wing upperside varies in ground colour from light-grey to brick-red, with reticulate or mottled dark ornament. For hind wing underside two reddish or orange transversal bands on a white or yellowish background are characteristic: in discoidal region (a discoidal band) and in postdiscoidal zone (a postdiscoidal band). Hind wing has no transversal veins.

Eggs are mostly spherical or pear-shaped, apically with a funnel surrounded with vertical ribs; laid in batches on the foodplants. Young larvae live gregariously on silken nests, after hibernation - solitarily. They bear conical protuberances called false spines, by 9-11 on each segment from the first to the seventh and by 2-4 on each of the rest segments. Pupae are usually light-coloured with dark markings; their head is blunt, without "horns".

The subfamily includes about 400 species, the majority of which belong to the fauna of Central and South America.

Type species: Papilio phaeton Drury,1773].

F.w.l.: 16-23 mm. The wing upperside ground colour is light with a reddish-orange submarginal band and two spots of the same colour in the cell; the dark ornament is reticulate.

A Holarctic genus with 15 species.

TYPE LOCALITY: Sweden.

RANGE: The temperate Eurasia, except for the Far East, eastwards to Central Yakutia and the most upper Priamurye (found at Pokrovka at the Shilka and Argun' River junction by A. Strel'tsov), in the North locally reaches the forest-tundra zone. A local species.

HABITAT: mesophilous forest meadows, wood edges, banks of water bodies, in the mountains of South Siberia rises up to 1400 m altitude. Butterflies feed on the flowers of Ranunculus, Trifolium lupinaster, Polgonum bistorta, Veronica, Viburnum opulus, Polemonium coeruleum, Campanula, etc., congregate on wet ground in hot weather, males occupy perches most often being prominent branches of the bushes and chase out other individuals.

FLIGHT PERIOD: early June/late July, depending on the locality.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Veronica septentrionalis reported for Polar Ural, V. longifolia for Novosibirsk Region, Viburnum opulus, Lonicera, Spiraea crenata, Cotoneaster melanocarpa, Salix, Caragana frutex, Artemisia - for W Altai (P. Gorbunov), for Europe reported are Thalicrum, Populus tremula, Salix, Viola, Syrigna, Digitalis, Lonicera, Scabiosa, Plantago. Eggs: pale-green, ribbed apically; laid on foodplant leaf underside. In Novosibirsk Region (Y. Korshunov) young larvae hatched in early August, at the first instar they live gregariously on Veronica longifolia leaves fasten to the stem by silken threads and overwinter in these nests. According to observations in Central Europe, after hibernation they feed on trees and bushes, but in Novosibirsk Region (O. Kosterin) they were observed to continue feeding on Veronica longifolia. Mature larva: black with yellow marking concentrating into a wide yellow back stripe and a similar stripe on either side; false spines black, hairy. Pupa (Porchinskii, 1981): silvery-white with small black and orange-yellow spots, the latter are less in number and always accompany the former; wing cases black- rimmed, without orange-yellow spots.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 17-24 mm. Wing upperside ground colour whitish; on wing underside fulvous colour predominates over white and yellowish, postdiscal fulvous band contains a black winding line throughout its length ; outer border of hind wing underside fulvous. Similar species: E. intermedia, E. iduna.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: In Siberia there widely ranges ssp. staudingeri Wnukowsky, 1929 (= uralensis Staudinger, 1852), characterizing by a white ground colour in wing central; butterflies from Polar Ural by a wide fulvous band approach the nomenotypical subspecies.

TYPE LOCALITY: "le nord de la Laponiae et de la Sibirie".

RANGE: The Alps, Middle and South Ural, the middle and southern taiga zone and North Baraba on the West Siberian Lowland, mountain regions of South Siberia and the Far East north to the Magadan Region, the Sakhalin, Mongolia, NE China, N Korea. A local species.

HABITAT: bushy wood edges, openings, river and brook valleys, subalpine parklands, stone pine and alder dwarf woods; in the mountains of South Siberia is recorded as high as 2200 m above sea level. Feeding of imagines was observed on the flowers of Ledum palustre, Spiraea beauverdiana, Anthriscus sylvestris, Senecio nemorensis, Antennaria dioica, and other plants with large inflorescences.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle June/late July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Veronica reported from the Upper Ob' basin; Lonicera maackii - from the southern Far East, beyond Asian Russia also Thalictrum, Salix, Digitalis.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 17-23 mm. Wing upperside ground colour varies from light yellowish-orange to brick-red; on hind wing postdiscoidal band often contains minute black dots; outer margin on hind wing underside fulvous. Similar species: E. maturna.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: ssp. altaica Seitz, 1908 ranges in Ural, West Siberia, and Altai Mts.; itermedia Ménétriés, 1859 inhabits Yakutia and, probably, also Tuva, the Sayans, Pribaikalye, Zabaikalye, and the upland Stanovoe Nagorye, in the latter regions specimens predominate with ochre-coloured spots in central part of wings, known as mongolica Staudinger, 1892; butterflies from the southern Far East differ from Siberian ones by even brick-red wing upperside ground colour and to some extent reduced dark pattern; similar butterflies from the Sakhalin were described as ssp. konumensis Matsumura, 1927.

SYSTEMATIC NOTES: We retain the initial name for this species, later changed to intermedia due to pretensions to Boisduval's picture. However, it was still Ershov (1888) who noted that "Boisduval gave a picture of a female, very well done, while Ménétriés, although gave a picture of male under the name intermedia, but it was quite bad, so I found it useful to correctly figure, once more, a male from Irkutsk Province". Thus, Ershov in fact supported the name ichnea, that was not taken into account later.

TYPE LOCALITY: Sweden.

RANGE: The very North of Europe (Fennoskandia, the record closest to the considered territory is the surroundings of the Ukhta town in Komi Republic), the Alps, the Caucasus, the Putorana Plateau, the mountains of East and South Siberia, of the northern Far East (on the Ochot coast is lowered to coastal tundras), and of Mongolia. A local species.

HABITAT: in northern lowlands: mossy (Sphagnum) larch woods, bogs and thickets of the dwarf birch; in the mountains: detritus and the dwarf birch montane tundras, alpine and subalpine meadows, along river banks in the upper part of the forest belt.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle June/middle July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Scandinavia (Henriksen, Kreutzer, 1982). Foodplants: Veronica alpina, V. fruticans, Plantago, Vaccinium. A biennial species. Eggs: yellowish-green, conical, with a funnel-shaped concavity on apex and numerous fine ribs; laid in small groups on foodplant leaves. Larva at the 2nd-3rd instars: black with numerous yellowish-white markings concentrating at segment joints, prolegs pale-brown, spiracles ringed by light colour. Larvae live in groups in a small web. Pupa: pale-ochre-grey with black latitudinal spots on wing cases, black spots on thorax and black lines on back and sides divided by segment joints.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 16-24 mm. On hind wing underside light-grey or white colour predominates over the fulvous and brown, postdiscal band usually without a black line; on wing upperside white spots in the center are larger than in E. iduna; black spots in postdiscoidal band of hind wing as a rule absent (their traces can be present in eastern specimens). Similar species: E. maturna.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: butterflies from N Siberia are very close to the nominotypical subspecies; highlands of the mountains of South Siberia are inhabited by ssp. sajana Higgins, 1950, differing by somewhat paler wing pattern, especially on underside. The Kuznetskoe Nagorye upland is inhabited by bright butterflies almost twice as large as E. iduna sajana Higgins, 1950], the females being larger than males. Specimens occur among them with a darker pattern, alike ab. sulitelmica Schultz, 1906. These large butterflies are designated as E. iduna semenovi Korshunov et Ivonin, 1996.

Original description is as follows:

" HOLOTYPE: a female. F.w.l. 24 mm. The pattern is as in the main form, but light elements are more distinct and suffusion with dark scales is diminished on them. There are small dark spots at the vein ends.

ALLOTYPE: a male. F.w.l. 20 mm. The light elements of the pattern above are suffused with grey and dark scales, especially at the fulvous band. Beneath the light elements are as in the female.

MATERIALS: The holotype: a female - 14.7.1975, Khakassia, surroundings of the mountain Bobrovaya, a stream being a tributary of the Sarala River (Yu. Korshunov). The allotype: a male - 7.07.1975, the same locality, on a dandelion inflorescence. Paratypes: 47 males 15 females - 7- 14.07.1975, the same locality; 5 males 3 females, 30.06- 9.07.1996, the Kedrovaya River Valley at the mountain Chemodan; 8 males 1 female, 4.07.1996, the valley of the Krasnaya Rechka River, a tributary of the Srednyaya Ters' River; 5 males 3 females - 5.07.1996, the mountain Stanovoi Khrebetnot to confuse with homonymic mountain range in Transbaikalia]; 1 male - 6.07.1996, a lake at the mountain Medvezhya; 1 male 1 female - 8 and 10.07.196, meadows at the mountains Chemodan and Lysaya (V. Ivonin).

In general, the butterflies prefer meadows with Viola altaica on mountains slopes and at screes. They were noticed to feed on the flowers of Valeriana, Bistorta bistorta, Ranunculus, Taraxacum, rarely on Umbelliferae.

The subspecies is dedicated to the memory of our teacher Semenov, Boris Sergeevich, which as long ago as in 20s collected Lepidoptera in these places and discovered Argynnis sagana in the Ters' Rivers basin. For a long tome he was a head of the Nature division of the Novosibirsk Museum of Local Lore. "

Yakutian butterflies differ from others, They look mottled, differ from the typical ones by pure white and brick-red spots on both wing sides and a larger size. We named them Euphydryas iduna alferakyi Korshunov [et P. Gorbunov, that was omitted in the publication - Yu.P.] 1996.

Original description:

" HOLOTYPE: a male. F.w.l. 19 mm. There is a transversal band of black scales on the white field on the wing upperside. The wing underside have a contrasted pattern, characteristic to the species, and black veins.

ALLOTYPE: a female. F.w.l. 23 mm. Close to the male in the pattern and colouration but has more black scales on the white areas on the wing upperside.

MATERIALS: The holotype: a male - 21.06.1985, E Yakutia, 18 km NEE of the settlement Khandyga, the Khandyga River headwaters (V. Dubatolov). The allotype: a female, 12.06.1985, E. Yakutia, the Aldan River, Khandyga, a damp clearing in a larch forest (V. Dubatolov). Paratypes: 2 males, 26.06.1971, the settlement Argatakh on the Srednekolymskii District of Yakutia (P. Polyakova); 2 males 1 female, 16.06 - 15.07.1973 and 1 female - 20.06.1979, the In'yali River headwaters, Yakutia (N. N. Vinokurov); 4 males - 12.06.1985, the Aldan River; 11 males 5 females - 21.06- 17.07.1985, the Khandyga River headwaters; 7 males 2 females - 5-20.07.1985, the Suntar River low reaches, the Indigirka River basin; 8 males 3 females - 17-18.07.1985, the Kyubyume River, the Indigirka basin (V. Dubatolov); 1 male - 30.06.1985 - the Suntar-Khayata mountain range, the mountain baranya (L. Popova); 1 male - 15.07.1990, E yakutia, the Myurale River headwaters (M. Zakharov).

The subspecies is named in the honour of Sergey Nokolaevich Alferaky (1850-1918), an author of works on Siberia and a great number of taxa."

TYPE LOCALITY: Paris.

RANGE: S Europe, S Ural and S Zauralye, the mountains of S Siberia east to Kentei Mts., E Kazakhstan and Mongolia; the Prilenskoe Plateau; Ural and Yakutia rare.

HABITAT: steppes and steppefied meadows in intermontane hollows and south-exposed slopes. In South Siberia, from Altai to Kentei, beside of the typical form there occurs a peculiar f. banghaasi Seitz, 1908, which differs from the former by paler colour and substantially smaller size and is confined to highlands, inhabiting mostly marshy dwarf-birch thickets at 1600-2800 m above sea level, sometimes considered as a distinct species (Lukhtanov, Lukhtanov, 1994). Only this highland form is present in Zabaikalye.

FLIGHT PERIOD: late May/middle July, depending on the locality.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Niculescu, 1965; Henriksen, Kreutzer, 1982; Ebert, 1991, other authors). Foodplants: Succisa pratensis, Knautia arvense (Dipsacaceae), also reported Plantago, Digitalis, Veronica, Theucrium, Geranium, Lonicera, Centaurea scabiosa. In W altai (P. Gorbunov) the larvae were found on Spiraea crenata, Cotoneaster melanocarpa, Caragana frutex, Viburnum opulus, Lonicera altaica, Artemisia. Eggs: yellow, truncated conical shaped, with 12-16 lengthwise ribs, laid in batches by 30 and more on foodplant leaves at the ground. The larvae live gregariously on a nest until the second hibernation. Larva: black with small white dots which concentrate into wide lengthwise bands on the sides; false spines black; spiracles white-rimmed; prolegs pale-brown. Pupa: stout, white or light-yellow with two lengthwise black streaks on very convex wing cases, head black, leg cases yellowish-orange with black spots, each abdominal segment with a black streak interrupted by orange- yellow spots on rounded warts.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 15-23 mm. Wing upperside ground colour varies from pale-yellow to brick-red; submarginal band on hind wing usually orange-red; on hind wing underside outer border white, postdiscoidal band contains six large black dots seen also on the upperside.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The species exhibit great geographical variation. Ssp. sareptensis Staudinger, 187, differing from the nominotypical by somewhat narrower and very contrasted distinct pattern, ranges in S. Ural; ssp. siberica Staudinger, 1861 (pro desfontanesi Eversmann, 1851, nec desfontanesi Boisduval, 1832), with the type locality Irkutsk, ranges in the mountains of S Siberia (except for Zabaikalye, differing from sareptensis by a more even colouration that makes it approaching the type subspecies; a close subspecies laeta Christoph, 1893 was described from the Prilenskoe Plateau in Central Yakutia. Investigations by V.V. Dubatolov revealed that butterflies of steppen Zabaikalye and the Far East belong to a separate species, which is given below.

TYPE LOCALITY: N China: Peking.

RANGE: S and E Zabaikalye, Upper and Middle Priamurye, Primorye, E Mongolia, NE China, Korea.

HABITAT: dry meadows in valley broad-leaved and mixed forests. In the Bol'shoi Bukukun River valley (S Chita Region) the imagines flied together with those of E. aurinia (V. Dubatolov).

FLIGHT PERIOD: June/middle July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in SE Zabaikalye by V. Dubatolov. Foodplant: Veronica incana. Larva: black with back and spiracular lines consisting of white spots of different size and shape, lateral stripes split by narrow black winding lines; spiracles black with wide white rims; false spines black; hairs black, above prolegs brown.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 18-24 mm. On the hind wing underside the postdiscoidal band contains six small black dots in large light spots, only 2-3 dots being seen on upperside; wing upperside ground colour pale-orange, outer margin wide, yellow-orange, that on hind wing underside contains six small black dots on large pale spots, on hind wing upperside only 2-4 black dots are seen. In male genitalia the arms of the uncus is substantially longer than in the similar species E. aurinia (Higgins, 1950).

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: In Middle Priamurye and Primorye there ranges ssp. tjutjujensis Higgins,1950, differing from Zabaikalian butterflies by somewhat widened black pattern elements on wing upperside.

ETYMOLOGY: Armand David (1826-1900) - a French missionary in China, who collected butterflies for K. Oberthur in the southern part of the Great Khingan at the end of XIX century.

Type species: Papilio cinxia Linnaeus, 1758.

F.w.l.: 12-31 mm. Wing upperside ground colour varies from pale-ash-grey to brick red, dark pattern reticulate or spotty; on fore wing there are no postdiscoidal band, spots in cell do not differ in colour from background.

Mainly a Palearctic genus including not less than 50 species.

TYPE LOCALITY: France: the environs of Paris.

RANGE: The temperate Eurasia, in West Siberia northwards to the middle taiga belt; eastwards of the Sayans the species is known by scarce records from Central Uakutia (the settlement Khaptagai), the Stanovoe Nagorye upland (the settlement Vasil'evskii), the Magadan Region (the Kolyma River headwaters), Kamchatka (the settlement Kozyrevsk), Lower Priamurye (the Goryun River), S Primorya (the Suchan River).

HABITAT: forest, floodland and highland meadows, meadow steppes, forest clearing; in the mountains goes up to an altitude of 2300 m (SE Altai). Butterflies were observed to feed on the flowers of Polygonum bistorta, Comarum palustre, Trifolium lupinaster, Ledum palustre, Galium, Veronica longifolia, Aster alpinus, etc.

FLIGHT PERIOD: prolonged, early June/early August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Eckstein, 1913) and W Siberia. Foodplants: Plantago (Plantaginaceae), Melampyrum, Veronica, Digitalis (Scrophulariaceae), Valeriana (Valerianaceae), Centaurea, Chrysanthemum, Hieraceum, Tanacetum. Eggs: yellowish-white with 24-26 ribs at apex, laid in batches by several dozens on foodplant leaf underside. Young larvae live gregariously and eat leaf mesophyl leaving veins and upper epidermis intact, they hibernate in a silken nest, at the last instar become solitary. Mature larva: dark with a lighter ventral side and transversal rows of white and blueish dots; false spines fleshy, yellow or brownish, with dark hairs. Pupa: light-grey with black spots of different shape and small orange specks on sides; suspended on leaf underside.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 14-20 mm. Wing upperside ochre-orange with black reticulate markings; hind wing underside ground colour white; postdiscoidal band contains diffuse ochre- orange spots between the veins. Male genitalia: caudal process of valva with a long straight tooth (see Fig. ). Similar species: M. ambigua, M. britomartis, M. aurelia, M. menetriesi,

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: butterflies from Ural and W Siberia are close to ssp. athalia; those from the mountains of S Siberia differ by on average more developed black pattern and were describe as ssp. reticulata Higgins, 1955 - from Central Altai and ssp. tinica Fruhstorfer, 1910 from the surroundings of Irkutsk. Specimens from Yakutia, Magadan Region, Kamchatka and the Stanovoe Nagorye upland are very small (with f.w.l. 14-18 mm) and have a pale wing upperside ground colour; ssp. asiae Verity, 1940 was described from Suchan in Primorye, in general it resembles the nominotypical one.

TYPE LOCALITY: the Amur Region: "Djai" (the village Kalinovka somewhat downstream along the Amur River of the town Sofiisk).

RANGE: The East Sayan, Pribaikalie, Zabaikalie, Priamurye (downstream to the Goryun River), Primorye, the Sakhalin, E Mongolia, NE China, Korea, Japan.

HABITAT: various meadow and meadow steppe patches.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle June/late July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Japan (Fukuda et al, 1982). Foodplants: Scrophulariaceae, Cirsium and Artemisia (Asteraceae) were also reported. Larva: dark with orange streaks; set with hairs; false spines white and fleshy. Pupa: light, almost white, covered with small black spots; suspended usually on a foodplant stem.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 17-24 mm. Dark reticulate pattern on wing upperside much narrowed in postdiscal area; hind wing underside ground colour, as different from M. athalia, with distinct yellowish tint; differs from M. athalia by uncul apes in male genitalia (Fig. ). Similar species: V. athalia, M. britomartis.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: ssp. ambigua (?= bathilda Fruhstorfert, 1919) is described from Priamurye; from more westerly parts of the range there were described the taxa sayaskalpina Verity, 1940 (E Sayan) and kenteana Seitz, 1909 (Zabaikalye);in Primorye and the southern Sakhalin there ranges ssp. niphona Butler, 1878 (= mandshurica Fixsen, 1887; = sachalinensis Matsumura. 1925) differing by a larger size and more intense suffusion of yellow scales on wing underside.

TYPE LOCALITY: Poland: the town Vrozlav, the Odra River.

RANGE: The temperate Eurasia, in Siberia northwards to the southern taiga belt.

HABITAT: mostly mesophilous and damp meadows of various kinds; in the mountains rises as high as 2300 m altitude (Central Altai). The butterflies actively visit flowers of Bistorta bistorta, Melilotus, Origanum vulgare, Veronica longifolia, Aster alpinus, they are often seen on wet ground.

FLIGHT PERIOD: prolonged, June/August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Henricksen, Kreutser, 1982 and others). Foodplants: Plantago (Plantaginaceae), Veronica, Linaria, Melampyrum (Scrophulariaceae), Tanacetum (Asteraceae). Eggs: yellow, barrel-shaped with numerous fine ribs and a small apical funnel; laid by 30 and more on foodplant leaves. Before hibernation the larvae live gregariously on a web from which they move for feeding leaving a silken thread. After hibernation they start living solitarily in individual webs. Larva: black but looks greenish or greyish due to numerous light markings (larger and more numerous than in M. athalia) on back and sides; set with black hairs; false spines light-yellow with white apices. Pupa: brown with paler stripes, a darker back stripes and wing cases, abdomen with yellow spots and pale segment joints.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 13-19 mm; wing upperside brownish-orange with a black reticulate pattern; the hind wing underside ground colour is yellowish. Male genitalia: uncus consists of two teeth; valva is not stretched, nearly rounded, its caudal process stout, but no more than thrice as short as valva, with the upper teeth elongate (Table...). Similar species: M. aurelia, M. menetriesi, M. athalia, reliable identification is possible only by male genitalia.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The nominotypical subspecies ranges in Ural and the south of West Siberia. South Siberian taxa seminigra Seitz, 1909 (the Sayans), frigidaltaica Verity, 1940 (Altai), imitans Verity, 1930 (Zabaikalie), and others, were synonymized by L.G. Higgins (1944) with the oldest taxon amurensis Staudinger, 1892, described from Priamurye; the subspecies latefascia Fixsen, 1883 (= coreae Verity, 1940) was also reported for Primorye, it is characterized by larger size and somewhat reduction of dark pattern in wing center.

TYPE LOCALITY: Kamchatka.

RANGE: The south-eastern part of the West Sibarian Lowland (the upper Ob'River basin), the mountains of South and East Siberia, Priamurye, Kamchatka, Mongolia.

HABITAT: in the Novosibirsk region: mesophilous herbaceous meadows on river terraces; in the mountains of South Siberia: montane, predominantly steppefied, meadows; in Kamchatka: long- forb meadows; in the mountains rises to the tree-line.

FLIGHT PERIOD: early June/early August, depending on locality.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 14-19 mm. Wing upperside ochre-orange or brownish; black marking sometimes to some extent reduced; spots of ground colour within postdiscoidal row wider than others. Male genitalia: the valve substantially elongate (Tabl....). Similar species: M. britomartis, M. aurelia, M. athalia; for a reliable identification examination of the male genitalia is necessary.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: At first this species was described under the name orientalis Ménétriés, 1859, this preoccupied name was later replaced by menetriesi Caradja, 1895. In 1892 the species mongolica Staudinger was described from the Kentei, however, this name was also replaced by centralasiae Wnukowsky, 1929. Thus, ssp. centralasiae Wnukowsky, 1929 ranges in West and South Siberia; the nominotypical subspecies is distributed in Kamchatka (butterflies from the southern Ochot coast and the mountains of Bureya were also included into the type series, but the consubspecificity of the entire series is problematic) and differ from the previous ssp. by hind wing underside, namely, presence of white spots along entire outer margin and enlarged black spots in postdiscal area. Similar butterflies were collected also in the Magadan Region (settlement Madaun); ssp. kolymskia Higgins, 1955, was described on the materials from the surroundings of the settlements Zhigansk and Srednekolymsk, it is characterized by a small size and enlarged white spots on hind wing underside.

ETYMOLOGY: Edward Ménétriés(1802-1861), a well known lepidopterologist, described many Siberian species.

TYPE LOCALITY: SE [Russian] Altai, the Chuya River.

RANGE: A little-known species found in North-East Altaiits [Russian part implied] (the surroundings of the village Onguday, the stows Tyurguno and Tete in the vicinity of the village Kuray, the Saylyugem mountain range) and NE Mongolia (the Huvs-Nur and Bayan-Ulegey aimaks); reported for the East Sayan (the Tunkinskie Belki mountain range).

HABITAT: larch parkland, highland mountains and detritus ridges at 2000-2900 m above sea level.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle June/middle July.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: A little known taxon, species independence of which needs confirmation. By external features and male genitalia most resembles M. menetriesi centralasiae. Among main diagnostic features the shape of aedeagus, straight and stout, sharply ending with a steep "keel", used to be mentioned (Higgins, 1955).

ETYMOLOGY: Georg Rebel (1861-1940)- Director of Natural History Museum in Vienna, a professor, the co-author of O. Staudinger.

TYPE LOCALITY: Czechia: Bohemia.

RANGE: Europe (except for the North), Anterior Asia, South Ural, the south of West Siberia (east to the Karasuk District of the Novosibirsk region).

HABITAT: meadow and meadow-steppe patches among kolki (birch groves), in pine forests, along wind-break strips, at water bodies, on mountain slopes.

FLIGHT PERIOD: prolonged, early June/late July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Eckstein, 1913 and others). Foodplants: Plantago (Plantaginaceae), Veronica, Melampyrum, Digitalis (Scrophulariaceae), Tanacetum (Asteraceae). Eggs: ribbed, flattened beneath, with conical apex, glossy pale-yellow; laid by layers (most frequently two). Young larvae live gregariously, later - solitarily. Mature larva: darker than that of M. athalia, black with very small white dots, set with short hairs; false spines brownish or reddish with white tips. Pupa: yellowish-white with brownish and orange dots of various size and shape; according to other description grey with black spots, brownish wing cases and yellow warts on abdomen.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l: 14-18 mm. Wing upperside ochre- orange with dark-brown reticulate ornament; hind wing ground colour ochre-yellow. Male genitalia: uncus not expressed (Table...). Similar species: M. britomartis, M. menetriesi, M. athalia.

TYPE LOCALITY: Priamurye: the mountains of Bureya.

RANGE: The Novosibirsk Region east of the Ob' River (the valleys of the Shadrikha Rivulet and of the right tributary of the Malyy Elbash Rivulet; between the settlements Salair and Suenga), Kemerovo Region (the village Ust'-Travyanka, the town Targai), Altaiskii Krai (the village Soldatovo), the East Sayan (the Irkut River), Zabaikalie (the Chikoy river, Kyakhta), Priamurye, Primorye, NE China, Korea. A local species.

HABITAT: wet floodland meadows (in the Novosibirsk region - with the reed (Phragmites communis), "mari" - bogged up open larch woodland.

FLIGHT PERIOD: July.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 13-17 mm. Wing upperside ochre-orange with black reticulate ornament; on hind wing underside ground colour much darkened and contains separate yellowish spots, oval in postdiscal area, semiround in submarginal area.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: weakly studied. Ssp pacifica Verity, 1932, has been described from S Zabaikalye, ssp. ussuriae Verity, 1932 - from S. Primorye.

TYPE LOCALITY: Germany: Augsburg.

RANGE: The temperate Eurasia, locally as north as the northern taiga.

HABITAT: damp forest and forest-steppe meadows, mostly in river valleys; in the mountains rises up to the tree-line. The butterflies tend to keep to meadow patches shaded by trees or bushes.

FLIGHT PERIOD: early June/middle July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Niculescu, 1965 and others). Foodplants: Plantago (Plantaginaceae), Veronica, Melampyrum (Scrophulariaceae), Valeriana, Patrinia (Valerianaceae), Polygonum bistorta (Polygonaceae), Asteraceae. Eggs: pale-yellow, with 24 vertical ribs; laid in batches by 5-20 or 200-300 on foodplant leaf underside. Young larvae live gregariously on a silken nest; they hibernate in the fourth instar inside dry stems or among dead leaves. Mature larva: dark-grey with darker streaks on the back, covered with minute blueish dots and hairs; false spines reddish or yellowish; head with two blue spots. Pupa: greyish-white or light-blueish- green with large black brands on wing cases and transversal black streaks, interrupted by orange-yellow spots, on abdominal segments.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 16-23 mm; wing upperside ochre-brown with rows of light-reddish brown or ochre-yellow spots, that is a dark pattern extremely pronounced, as compared with other species, and predominates over a lighter colour; hind wing underside ground colour is whitish or silvery-white, five cells of a fulvous-brown postdiscoidal band contain black dots. Similar species: V. protomedia.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: Ural and the forest zone of Siberia are inhabited by ssp. hebe Borkhausen, 1793, differing from the nominotypical one by even more developed dark pattern and a whitish colour of spots in wing center in females: the mountains of S Siberia east to Pribaikalye - by ssp. erycina Lederer, 1853, described from W Altai and being characterized by the most development of dark colour on wing upperside, with contrasted small spots, yellowish in males and whitish in females; larger butterflies from SE Zabaikalie, Priamurye, and Primorye, with light spots in wing center enlarged, are known as ssp. erycinides Staudinger, 1892.

TYPE LOCALITY: "the Amur" at the Ussuri River mouth.

RANGE: Middle Priamurye (the surroundings of Khabarovsk), the southern and western Primorye, NE China, Korea, Japan.

HABITAT: meadows in river valleys, open places on the slopes of mountains and coastal terraces.

FLIGHT PERIOD: early July/late August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Probable foodplant: Veronica (Kuretzov, 1970).

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 17-22 mm. Wing upperside in both sexes ochre-brown with black reticulate ornament; on hind wing underside there is a fulvous-brown submarginal band with 4- 5 black dots in cells; this band is bordered at both sides with ochre-yellow spots, although in some females they are silvery- white (f. argentea Fixsen, 1887). This species differs from the similar M. diamina by a lighter wing upperside colouration and by the shape of the process on the valva in male genitalia (Table....).

TYPE LOCALITY: North Pribaikalye.

RANGE: The mountains of South and East Siberia (the Vitim River, the Suntar-Khayata mountain range), the Magadan Region, Priamurye (the Tukuringra mountain range, surroundings of Komsomol'sk-na-Amure), the Sikhote-Alin' Mts. (the Sokolovka River), Mongolia, North and Central China, N Korea. A local species.

HABITAT: montane steppes, steppefied, forest and alpine meadows; Altai - only in the mountains at elevations of 1800-3000 m. On the Suntar-Khayata range the species was collected on pebble banks of the Khadyta River headwaters at 500-700 m above sea level.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle June/late July.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 14-21 mm. Wing upperside ochre-orange with rows of small black spots; on hind wing underside there is an ochre-orange marginal streak, postdiscoidal band contains seven round spots of the same colour. Male genitalia: caudal process of valva is like a large tooth.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The nominotypical subspecies ranges in Pribaikalie, Zabaikalie and the mountains of the Amur basin; ssp. minor Elwes, 1899 (?= carmana Fruhstorfer, 1915) is known from Altai, Tuva, and the Sayan, it differs by a small size and a paler colouration; similar butterflies were found out in E Akutia and highlands of Zabaikalye (the mountain Golets Sokhondo).

SYSTEMATIC NOTE: The taxon baicalensis was described by O. Bremer (1861) by a single male from the Radde's collection from North Pribaikalye as a species. A page below in the same paper Melitaea arcesia was described by a collection from Dahuria. Conspecificity of these taxa, supposed by many lepidopterologists (O. Staudinger, L. Higgins) leads to the use of the name baicalensis as a valid name for this species (see also Sviridov, 1981a), although for a final decision a study of type materials at Zoological Institute, St.Petersburg, is necessary. Noteworthy that butterflies resembling to Bremer's picture of baicalensis were recently described from highlands of the Khamar-Daban mountain range (S Pribaikalye) as Melitaea arcesia dabanica Barantshikov, 1979, among diagnostic features mentioned is "absence of spines on valva processes in male genitalia" (Baranchikov, 1979). We didn't studied yet the holotype of this taxon.

F.w.l.: 16-25 mm. Wing upperside is ochre-orange or brick-red in males, but in females the fore or both wings can be greyish; black pattern consists of separate spots, in females they may be fused; on hind wing underside there is a contiguous orange postdiscoidal band. Male genitalia: ventral margin of valva dentate.

The constituent species are very similar, differing by details of colouration and on chromosomal and molecular (isozyme polymorphism) levels.

TYPE LOCALITY: Bavaria.

RANGE: S Europe, N Africa, Anterior and Central Asia, Kazakhstan, S Ural, the southern West Siberia, North Altai.

HABITAT: meadow-steppe patches at kolki [birch groves] edges, ravines, long fallow lands, in the mountains - on barren rocky southern slopes and ridges. In Altai the butterflies were observed to feed on Filipendula ulmaria, Sedum aizoon, Trifolium, Goniolimon speciosum, Phlomis tuberosa, Leonurus sibirica, Dracocephalum nutans.

FLIGHT PERIOD: prolonged, middle May/middle July, locally the second brood appears in July/August, these imagines are noticeably smaller and paler.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Trifolium, Plantago, Valeriana, Veronica, Verbascum, Linaria, Stachys, Phlomis, Linum, Scabiosa, Carduus, Centaurea, Artemisia. In West Siberia (the Novosibirsk Region as well as W Altai), the larvae are found almost exclusively on Phlomis tuberosum, rarely on Veronica incana. Eggs: greenish-yellow, pear-shaped with 24 ribs at the apex. Young larvae live gregariously on a silken nest, in which they also hibernate, usually at the third instar. Mature larva (according to observations of P. Gorbunov in W Altai): lives solitarily; it is white with numerous black markings with 9 (on abdomen) rows of whitish false spines; head and bases of spines of 2nd and 4th row from beneath are orange; legs whitish. Pupa (according to description of O. Berezina and O. Kosterin in Novosibirsk Region): white with black markings, some of which being accompanied with small orange spots or containing orange nuclei: mesothorax and metathorax above with black lines (with adjacent orange spots) forming X-like structures. Wing cases with two slanting black bands containing small white spots, on these bands veins are orange-yellow and distinct. Antennal cases checkered, black-white; there is a wide black stripe on ventral side of thorax and three pairs of symmetrical black dots between it and antennae cases, two slanting black dashes present on lower part of head. Abdomen with six rows of pointed knobs which rise from bicoloured spots on fore parts of segments, orange behind the know and otherwise black, in ventral side of abdomen there are four rows (two on either side) of similar bicoloured spots without knobs; on hind parts of abdominal segments there are black spots of irregular shape alternating with those bearing knobs. Pupal stage lasts for 10-15 days.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 16-25 mm. Wing upperside ochre-orange or ochre-red, in females never lacks reddish colour; as different from M. latonigena, on hind wing underside submarginal orange band bordered with separate black strokes between veins; as different from M. didymoides, black spots on wing underside larger, as different from M. fascelis, antennal club is fulvous beneath.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: In the area considered there ranges ssp. neera Fischer de Waldheim, 1840 (= uralca Bryk, 1940), described from the Volga Basin.

TYPE LOCALITY: Zabaikalie: the Kentei Mts..

RANGE: The mountains of South Siberia and Mongolia, East Siberia north-east to the Nera River basin.

HABITAT: meadows steppes and steppe meadows on south-exposed slopes, river terraces and rocky banks, intermontane hollows; found at sands in the Selenga River valley. Butterflies feed on flowers of Polygonum, Astragalus, Goniolimon, Thymus, Dracocephalum, Allium, etc.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle June/August, depending on the locality.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Pupa: whitish with black and reddish specks of different sizes; suspended on grasses.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 15-24 mm. In males wing upperside ochre-orange or ochre-red, in females usually greyish with pronounced black ornament; hind wing underside ground colour whitish, on hind wing underside submarginal orange band bordered with more or less contiguous black lines. Similar species: M. didyma, M. didymoides, M. sutchana. A difference in chromosome number were shown between this and the most close species, M. didyma (Lukhtanov, Kuznetsova, 1989).

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: ssp. latonigena inhabits Pribaikalye and Zabaikalye, westwards in the mountains of S Siberia there range two smaller subspecies: ssp. altaica Grum-Grshimailo, 1893, Altai, and atrata Higgins, 1935, the Sayans; arid regions of Yakutia are inhabited by most small subspecies polaris Grum- Grshimailo, 1899, with a black outer border on wing upperside narrower than in South Siberian forms.

TYPE LOCALITY: Zabaikalie: Kyakhta.

RANGE: Tuva (the Malyi Yenisei River), the East Sayan (the village Mondy), S Pribaikalie, S and E Zabaikalie, Upper Priamurye (the Zeya River basin), S Primorye. E Mongolia, NE China. A local species.

HABITAT: meadow steppes and steppefied meadows; in South Primorye also coastal meadows.

FLIGHT PERIOD: in one or two broods in early June/late August, depending on the locality.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 18-24 mm. Wing upperside ochre-red in males, ochre-orange or light grey in females; wings narrower than in M. didyma and M. latonigena, dark pattern in central part of wings reduces, on hind wing underside submarginal orange band bordered with separate black strokes between veins. Male genitalia: teeth on harpe weakly expressed (See Table. ).

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The nominotypical subspecies ranges Tuva, Pribaikalye, Zabaikalye, and Priamurye; ssp. latonia Grum- Grshimailo, 1891, described from S Manzhuria, inhabits the Khanka Plain in Primorye, it differs by a more bright colouration of wing upperside with more developed black spots.

TYPE LOCALITY: Primorye: Suchan.

RANGE: E Zabaikalie, Priamurye (as downstream as the Goryun River), Primorye, the Sakhalin (Yuzhnosakhalinsk), NE China, Korea.

HABITAT: meadows and open stands in broad-leaved and mixed forests, bush thickets.

FLIGHT PERIOD: early June/late August, in two broods.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 18-24 mm. Wing upperside ochre-red with black spots in males, ochre-orange or light-grey with reticulate dark pattern in females; Male genitalia: valva longer than in M. didymoides, ventral margin of harpe without teeth at apex.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: weakly expressed. Butterflies from Lower Priamurye differ from typical ones by a smaller size and somewhat more developed dark pattern. Small (f.w.l. 18-20 mm) and very peculiar butterflies from the Sakhalin Island are described as Meltaea sutschana graeseri P. Gorbunov, sbsp.n.

Original description:

" HOLOTYPE. A male. F.w.l. 20 mm. The wing upperside ground colour is ochre-orange, more faded than in the typical butterflies. Among the black marking a row of spots on the middle of the wings, these spots are isolated from each other and more lengthwise elongate than in sutchana. On the fore wing upperside there are only four (also lengthwise elongate) spots at the fore margin. The hind wing underside ground colour is white with a yellow tint; the ochre-orange bands are wide, occupying about a half of the wing area. The light space between the external and the internal bands does not exceeds the width of the former (about 3 mm). In this space the black spots are close to the internal band, while in sutchana they are closer to the external one. The antennae and their clubs are fulvous. The genitalia structure is as in M. sutchana.

MATERIALS: The holotype: a male - 2.07.1994, the Sakhalin, the environs of the city Yuzhnosakhalinsk (A.M. Basarukin). The paratype: a male - 2.07.1994, the same locality.

We include only two specimens from the Sakhalin into the type series, although a male of a similar appearance was found also in our collections from the Lower Amurland (the Komsomol'skii Reserve, Bichi, 23.06.1988), and two more such males - in the ISEA collection from the southern Transbaikalia (Sokhondinskii Reserve, the Agutsa River middle flow, 9.08.1987). These facts rise a supposition of a species rank of the taxon being described, that need further materials for corroboration."

It should be added that the subspecies is named in the honour of Ludwig Karl Fridrich Graeser (1840-1913), a German lepidopterologist who studied butterflies on the Amur River in 1881- 1885.

TYPE LOCALITY: "Mudshik" - a right tributary of the Huwang Ho river.

RANGE: S Zabaikalie (the basins of the Selenga and Onon Rivers, Lakes Bol'shoy Chindat, Zun-Ttorei, Barun-Torei), Mongolia, Central China (the province Gansu). A local species.

HABITAT: steppefied meadows in river valleys, herb-grass and, mostly, bunch-grass steppes, on meadow-steppen mountain slopes locally reaches alpine meadows.

FLIGHT PERIOD: late June/late July.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 16-19 mm. Fore wings elongate, their upperside orange with separate black spots and two yellow spots at fore wing costa near apex, larger on fore wings, as different from other species, in males the dark pattern is much more developed and they look mottled; hind wing underside ground colour white, in discoidal area there present isolated orange spots which do not form a band.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: Zabaikalie is inhabited by ssp. puella Higgins, 1941.

ETYMOLOGY: Nikolay Mikhaylovich Romanov (1859-1919) - a grand duke, a grandson of Nikolay the First, an owner of a large butterfly collection and the editor of "Memores sur les Lepidopteres".

TYPE LOCALITY: Povolzhye: the town Sarepta.

RANGE: The steppe and forest-steppe zones from West Europe to Lake Hubsugul (Mongolia). A local species. There are reliable records only for the western Ural piedmonts; the species was reported also for Altai (the village Kamlak, the valleys of the Koksa, Inya, Bukhhtarma Rivers, the surroundings of Ust'-Kamenogorsk in East Kazakhstan).

HABITAT: steppefied, mostly valley meadows, steppefied southern slopes.

FLIGHT PERIOD: in S Ural: middle June/late July, in on brood.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Niculescu, 1965). Foodplants: Verbascum thapsus, V. nigrum, Scrophularia, Pedicularis, Teucrium are known. Larva: light-blueish-grey with blueish dots and a dark back stripe; with red-brown head and lengthwise streaks above spiracles; false spines light-yellow with white tips. Pupa: blueish-grey with dark specks.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 17-19 mm. Wing upperside brick-red or ochre-orange with black spots, much widened at outer margin; on fore wing underside black spots at the outer margin are lunular in shape; on hind wing underside orange spots of postdiscoidal band without black dots; antennal club black beneath. Similar species: M. uvarovi, M. didyma.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: A very variable species, imagines of different populations and broods substantially differing in size, the degree of dark suffusion, and details of colouration. The nominotypical subspecies inhabits western piedmonts of S Ural. Yu. P. Korshunov (1977) described a peculiar female of M. fascelis from the surroundings of Lake Hubsugul in Mongolia. We suggest the name Melitaea fascelis singularia Korshunov, sbsp.n. for such butterflies. Translation of the cited description, which should be considered as the original description of the subspecies, is following:

"*Melitaea trivia Denis et Schiffermuller, 1775, ?sbsp.n.

Hubs[ugul Aimak]: Lake Hubsugul, 26 VI (D.V.Ch. Dorogostaiskii], 1 female.

From the typical form differs by light and mottled pattern, somewhat elongate wings. Generally the habitus resemble that of M. t. ignasiti Sagarra, 1926. Probably, belong to a new subspecies.

Female. The palpi are set with yellow hairs. The fore wing length is 18 mm. The wing upperside is pale-fulvous, mottled since black dots are small and well contrasted. On the hind wing underside the black strokes are narrow, do not contact completely to the fulvous band. The middle field is light- yellow, not differing in colour from the basal and outer parts. There are two rows of four irregular black spots (dots) going from the fore margin to the cell in the middle field. The genitalia are close to those in the typical form."

Original description:

" The species is being stated by five males collected by S.V. Shutov in the valley of the Ural River, together with such spring steppen species as Zerynthhia polyxena, Triphysa phryne, Proterebia phygea [an error, should be "Proterebia afra" - Yu. P.], Thersamonia thersamon etc. From a close species M. fascelis, the closest population of which is known in 15 km NE of the place of collection of the new species (12 km S of the station Kuvandyk) it differs by a great number of external characters, and also early flight period (over-wintering in a phase of pupa is probable). It is not excluded that the taxon being described will turn out to be conspecific to a Central Asian species M. robertsi Butler, having a certain similarity with it in appearance and life history. But now, taking into account the Ural populations to be so remote, we describe it in a species rank.

MALE: F.w.l. 15.2-16.4 mm (15.4 mm in the holotype). The wings are somewhat narrower than in M. fascelis. The fore wing ground colour is ochre-orange-red, noticeably darker than in a close Central Asian taxon M. robertsi catapelia Staudinger, 1886. The black spots on the wing upperside are smaller and more clear-cut than in M. fascelis. The black marginal band is about 1 mm wide. A row of black submarginal lunules goes along it on both wings, they may contact to the marginal band but do not form, together with it, an united marginal blackening, found in M. f. fascelis. There is a small white spot on the fore wing fore margin (3 mm off the apex). The basal blackening on the hind wing does not extend above the vein Cu1. The fore wing underside is ochre-orange with a whitish spot at the apex and rather small isolated black spots. The hind wing underside ground colour is white, without a yellowish tint peculiar to M. fascelis. The pattern is as in M. fascelis but the black spots at the outer margin are narrower. The fringe is white, more clear and long than in M. fascelis, with black patches at the vein ends. In the genitalia structure the differences from M. fascelis (see Appendix) are rather weak.

MATERIALS: The holotype: a male - 6.05.1982, the Orenburg Region, the village Donskoe, a valley steppefied meadow (S.V. Shutov). Paratypes: 4 males - 3-6.05.1982, the same locality.

The species is dedicated to the memory of Uvarov, Boris Petrovich (1888-1920), a honoured member of the All-Union Entomological Society, who studied the fauna of Lepidoptera of NW Kazakhstan from a young age."

TYPE LOCALITY: Central Europe.

RANGE: The steppe and forest-steppe zones from the Mediterranean Sea to the Prilenskoe Plateau, Priamurye, Primorye, and NE China.

HABITAT: meadow patches at the edges of pine forests and birch groves, in river valleys, on montane slopes, in dry larch open woodland.

FLIGHT PERIOD: mostly middle June/middle July in one brood, in South Ural (the Orenburg Region) - late May/late August in two broods.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Rhaponticum uniflorum, Saussuraea, Centaurea, Cirsium, Serratula centauroides (Asteraceae), Plantago (Plantaginaceae). Preimaginal phases are described for SE Zabaikalye by O. Kosterin as follows. Mature larva: white with fine black reticulate ornament, so that looks grey; this ornament fuses into a black line along the back and a more diffuse line on either side (between 2nd and 3rd row of false spines from beneath); a white stripe (without ornament) goes through 2nd row beneath false spine row. False spines fulvous with white apices and black branches; on abdomen they are arranged in 11 lengthwise rows, the lowest one (just beneath prolegs) is formed by double false spines springing from the same point, on 1st and 2nd abdominal segments there are additional false spines position of which coincides with that of ventral prolegs on other segments; on 2nd and 3rd thoracic segments there are 10 false spine rows (those of the medial row on the back being missing); on 1st thoracic segments there are also 10 false spines: a "collar" of six small closely set ones and, on either side, two larger false spines below. Thoracic legs and ventral prolegs yellowish-grey; head greyish-black, set with tiny black hairs. Pupa: head, thorax, wing and leg cases black with white spots; on fore wing cases there are following white markings: at base, in cell, at anal angle, a slanting stripe going from middle costal margin to middle outer margin, and two rows of dots along outer margin; veins yellow; visible hind wing cases with a long elongate white spot. Abdominal segments bicoloured: black in fore part and white with black dots in hind part, division going through five spines with orange apices; ventral side of abdomen with two dark lengthwise stripes.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 18-26 mm. Wing upperside ground colour yellowish-orange or yellowish-brown in males, from yellowish-brown to pale-yellow in females, black spots partly fused into bands; on hind wing underside postdiscal band contains large round ochre-red spots between veins. As different from a similar species M. scotosia, in male genitalia valva apex has 2-3 rather long variously directed teeth.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: ssp. ornata Christoph, 1893 from Ural have two rows of lighter spots on wing upperside and so look mottled; ssp. saturata Staudinger, 1892, widely ranging in Siberia, has more even wing ground colour and larger black spots, butterflies from humid montane regions being much darker than those from arid regions of W Altai, Tuva, and S Transbaikalia. Rather small dark butterflies from Central Yakuia were described as ssp. tungusa Herz, 1898; light butterflies from S Zabaikalye - as ssp. changaica Seitz, 1908.

TYPE LOCALITY: Japan.

RANGE: Primorye. NE China, Korea, Japan.

HABITAT: dry meadows on montane slopes and in river valleys, open montane oak woods. A rare species.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle June/late July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Japan (Fukuda et al., 1982). Foodplants: Serratula coronata, Saussurea pulchella and S. maximowiczii, Synurus deltoides are known. Eggs: yellow, ribbed, in batches by several dozens. Larvae live on silken shelters by 5-40 individuals and hibernate at the fifth instar inside the stems of the foodplant or among withered leaves. Mature larva: dark, speckled with numerous white dots, with a wide yellowish- brown back stripe; false spines are brown or yellowish-brown, covered by tiny white hairs. Pupa: white with black dots on abdomen and thorax; wing cases partly rimmed with a brown margin and confine not-fused black spots.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 26-31 mm. Wing upperside orange with a dark pattern somewhat reduced in postdiscal area; on the hind wing underside the postdiscoidal band usually contains six large pale-orange or black spots; submarginal band being narrower and paler than in M. phoebe. Male genitalia: valva apex with 6-7 short stout teeth.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: On the continent this species is represented by ssp. butleri Higgins, 1940, differing from the nominotypical one by a substantial reduction of black pattern on wing upperside, especially in females.

TYPE LOCALITY: Sweden: Uppsala.

RANGE: N Africa, Europe (except for the North), Anterior and Central Asia, N and E Kazakhstan, the southern Ural and Siberia NE to the Prilenskoe Plateau, the southern Far East (solitary findings).

HABITAT: meadow patches in various forests (kolki [birch groves], bory [pine woods], etc.), along wind-break strips, on long-fallow lands, on mountain slopes, in steppes, meadow steppes. The imagines feed on the flowers of Ranunculus, Polygonum, Geranium sylvestris, Veronica, Dracocephalum, Plantago, Trifolium, Achillea etc.

FLIGHT PERIOD: prolonged, late May/late July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Henriksen, Kreutzer, 1982 and others) Foodplants: Viola, Veronica, Plantago, Hieracium, Centaurea, Achillea. Eggs: yellowish-white, barrel-shaped, ribbed in upper part, with a deep apical funnel, in batches on leaf underside. Young larvae live gregariously, hibernate at 2nd or 3rd instar in silken nests, then live solitarily. Mature larva: dark with a lighter ventral side; head and ventral prolegs reddish; each segment ringed by more than two rows of blueish-white dots and a row of cream-white, brown or black false spines. Pupa: whitish-grey with darker to almost black but light-rimmed wing cases, brownish back, orange warts and black dots on abdomen, sometimes looks lighter due to a wax bloom.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 16-22 mm. Wing upperside is ochre-orange in males, of the same colour or greyish in females, black spots partly fused into bands; on hind wing underside postdiscoidal band contains 5-6 black dots, as different from a similar species M. arduinna, orange anal border absent.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: Ural and W Siberia are inhabited by the nominotypical subspecies; ssp. tschujaca Seitz, 1908, described from Altai, ranges in the mountains of South Siberia, it is characterized by a more dull wing upperside ground colour and a widened dark pattern, that is especially characteristic for butterflies of Central Yakutia.

TYPE LOCALITY: Povolzhye: Kamyshin.

RANGE: Mostly mountainous regions from Greece through Caucasus, S Ural, Kazakhstan and Central Asia to Altai (the villages Manzherok and Cherga). A local species.

HABITAT: meadow steppes and herb meadows on south-exposed slopes and in river valleys.

FLIGHT PERIOD: in South Ural prolonged, late May/middle July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplant: Centaurea (Wiltshire, 1952).

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 18-23 mm. Wing upperside ochre-red or ochre-orange, black spots are partly fused into bands; on hind wing underside postdiscoidal band contains usually 5 large black dots, there is an orange anal border. Similar species: M. cinxia.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: Butterflies from S Ural and Altai, exhibiting a great individual variation, are close to ssp. arduinna (= uralensis Eversmann, 1844); in montane-forest regions a red form with widened black pattern often predominates.

The butterflies of intermediate or relatively large size (F.w.l.: 14-40 mm). Wing upperside ochre-orange, less frequently yellowish, or greyish, with a pattern consisting of rows of black spots, sometimes fused into a network. Hind wing underside colouration is usually a characteristic of the species.

Eggs are hemispheric or thimble-shaped. Larvae bear six lengthwise rows of branched spines. They feed on Viola, less frequently on Polygonaceae, Vacciniaceae and some others; as a rule they hibernate. Pupae have usually a pair of horns on head and paired acute prominence on dorsal side. Imagines actively visit various flowers.

Type species: Papilio paphia Linnaeus, 1758.

Relatively large butterflies: f.w.l. in our species: 25-40 mm. Wing upperside as a rule ochre-orange or ochre-red with black spots; fire wing outer margin straight or slightly concave; discoidal band absent on hind wing underside.

This genus, in a broad sense, includes about 55 species which are often considered within a number of related genera.

TYPE LOCALITY: Austria.

RANGE: S Europe, N Africa, Anterior, Central and Southern Asia, NW, S and E Kazakhstan. Quite a common species in the adjacent to Russia regions of West Altai (Lake Markakol'), may be found out in SW Altaiskii Krai Region.

HABITAT: meadow/steppe patches in woods, on montane slopes.

FLIGHT PERIOD: late June/middle August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in S Europe (Eckstein, 1913 and others). Foodplants: Viola (V. tricolor and others). Eggs: yellow, pear-shaped, with 22-24 lengthwise ribs. Larvae hibernate at early instars. Mature larva: purple-brown with three lengthwise light lines on back, slanting light dashes laterally of them, and large blueish-black crescent-shaped spot at fore margins of each segment, sometimes fused into a lengthwise band; spines short and sharp, yellowish or brown with dark setae; head black. Pupa: generally from greyish-brown to greenish-grey with metallic brands on back, with three dark streaks on wing cases.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 32-40 mm. Fore wing underside has a large brick-red area; hind wing underside greenish.

TYPE LOCALITY: N. China.

RANGE: The south-west of the West Siberian Lowland (Suzunskii Bor pine forest in the Novosibisrk; surroundings of Tomsk),the Salairskiy Kryazh elevation (at villages Suenga, Novososedovo in the Novosibirsk Region; many points in the Kemerovo Region); the Gornaya Shoria elevation (Kemerovo Region), the Kuznetskii Alatau Mts., NE Altai, the Sayans (the village Sutyagi, the Sisim River), the southern Pribaikalye (Irkutsk, the town Babushkin), Zabaikalye, the southern Far East, NE China, Korea, Japan. This species becomes very local westwards of Priamurye.

HABITAT: in the Far East: mixed and broad-leaved forests; in the mountains the species inhabits valleys and clearings in spruce/fir forests and reaches the tree-line at large-stoned screes. In Siberia it occurs on long-forb meadows in piedmont forests, including the relict linden (Tilia sibirica) forests. In the Gornaya Shoria elevation (Y.P. Korshunov, O. Kosterin) the imagines were observed to feed on the flowers of Angelica sylvestris, less frequently on Cirsium heterophyllum, Filipendula ulmaria, Phlomis tuberosa, Origanum vulgare; in cloudy weather the butterfly keeps to the crowns of birches, asps and bird cherries. In Zabaikalye (O. Kosterin) they most frequently feed on Sorbaria sorbifolia, Senecio cannabifolia and other large Compositae.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: First observations were made by Nikolai Grigoryev at the Tyazhin railvay station (Krasnoyarskii Krai Region), then studied in the Gornaya Shoria elevation at the village Kuzedeevo by Y.P. Korshunov and later by O. Kosterin and O. Berezina, data by O.K. and O.B. being presented below. Foodplant: Viola uniflora. Mature larva: brownish-black with a lighter dark-brown ventral side; abdomen with six rows of brownish-yellow spines with short black branches and black tips. Thoracic segments dorsally bear a pair of spines, those on 1st segments being 1.5 times longer and with blunt tips; besides, two pairs of lateral spines spring from 1/2 and 2/3 segment joints. There are several warts set with black setae on sides of thoracic segments and bunches of black setae above prolegs. Pupa: golden-ochre coloured with a darker brownish-grey reticulate ornament which, as becoming more dense, forms two lengthwise stripes along sides of abdomen and a double dark stripe its ventral side. There are two lengthwise strokes on the same colour on wing cases: in the middle and along anal margin. Five pair of short spines on dorsal side of thorax are rainbow- glittering.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 31-41 mm. In males basal half of hind wing underside ochre-coloured, outer one with a purple tint, border between them without white spots. The colouration of the females is unique for the subfamily: wing upperside black with a blue-green flash and large white spots and bands; underside brownish-green with the same white pattern.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The species was at first described by a male from China. Four years later A. Nordmann described a female of this species, originating from the Irkutsk vicinity, under the name paulina Nordmann, 1851. In the upper Ob' River Basin, on the Kuznetskoe Upland, NE Altai, and in the Sayan and adjacent territories there ranges ssp. relicta Korshunov, 1984, characterized by the large black spots on a saturated fulvous ground colour in males and small white spots on rather a dull colour in females; from more easterly regions the taxa paulina Nordmann, 1851 and nordmanni Korshunov, 1984 were described; the latter ranges in Pribaikalye, Zabaikalye, Mongolia and Priamurye, it is characterized by light fulvous ground colour in males and wide white bands and well expressed light-green colours on wing underside in females; butterflies from Primorye are usually attributed to the Japanese ssp. liana Fruhstorfer, 1907, most close to the nominotypical one.

TYPE LOCALITY: N China.

RANGE: S Primorye, NE China. A local species.

HABITAT: open places with lime-stone rocks and screes in mixed and deciduous forests at elevations below 700 m. The imagines were seen to feed on the flowers Dracocephalum multicolor and Sorbaria sorbifolia. The males exhibit well expressed territorial behaviour, while the females spend much time on the flowers.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle July/middle September.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied by M.M. and M.A. Omel'ko (1978). Foodplants: Viola variegata. Eggs: ribbed, light-yellow, laid by 1-3 on petioles or underside of the foodplant leaf or on dry litter or gravel at the foodplant. The larva hatches on 13th- 15th day; it is dark with lengthwise rows of long greyish hairs. It keeps to the leaf underside or petiole and eats the leaf margins; having been disturbed it rolls into a ring and falls into the litter. The first molt in the age of 9-11 days takes place on a leaf or in litter. The larva becomes black, with glossy black head with black hairs, there appear six lengthwise rows of spines set with sparse spiny bristles; spines of subdorsal and suprastigmal rows are black and fulvous, all spines of substigmal spines fulvous. The second molt takes place after 12-13 days, the larva reaches 5 mm in length and retains the same colouration. The third molt may happen before hibernation, on dry leaf fall; black spines become brown, fulvous one become rust-coloured, the length reaches 7 mm. The larva hibernates at instar 3-4 in dry rolled fallen leaves near foodplants; after hibernation it feeds on their leaves and flowers. Next molt takes place in early May, next one 9-11 days after. The larva at the last (seventh!) instar is 55-60 mm long, brown-black with a wide (2-3 mm) brownish-red stripe along the back and six rows of black spines, on segments 3-20 emerging from reddish warts. Pupation takes place in late June or early July on stones, twigs or barren tree roots. Pupa: 26-31 mm long; brownish-black or brown (depending on illumination) with glittering golden spots; with two small pointed processes curved outwards on head, a straight and acute hump on thorax and prominences on abdominal segment, the largest on segment 3; its stage lasts for 25-29 days.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 31-39 mm in males, 36-44 mm in females; wing upperside ground colour fulvous in males, blueish- grey in females; hind wing underside greenish with a network of silver cross-bands.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: In the Russian territory there ranges ssp. penelope Staudinger, 1891.

TYPE LOCALITY: China.

RANGE: Priamurye (from the Zeya to the Goryun Rivers and village Kiselevka), Primorye, NE and Central China, Korea, Japan.

HABITAT: valleys, meadows, and clearings in montane mixed forests.

FLIGHT PERIOD: prolonged, middle June/August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Japan (Fukuda et all, 1982). Foodplants: Viola spp. Eggs: yellowish-white with rows of spots; laid on various substrate near the foodplant. Larvae hatch usually in autumn and hibernate at the second instar. Mature larva: brown with an orange back line and rows of brown spines. Pupa: brown with greenish-ochre bloom, it has two rows of projections on abdomen, a conspicuous prominence on the thorax and two spines on head.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 34-38 mm in males; 37-42 mm in females. Fore wing outer margin distinctly concave; hind wing underside is greenish-ochre with a white spot at fore margin.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: ssp. ella Bremer, 1864 (= obliterata Kardakov, 1928), described from the surroundings of Vladivostok, ranges in the southern Primorye.

SYSTEMATIC NOTE: A.I. Kurentzov (1970) considered A. ella as a separate species as having compared it with Japanese butterflies but he did not take into account that Japan is inhabited by ssp. midas Butler but not the nominotypical subspecies.

TYPE LOCALITY: Sweden.

RANGE: The temperate Eurasia, locally as northwards as the forest-tundra zone, the Sakhalin, the South Kuriles, Japan.

HABITAT: meadows and open tree stand in various type forests, in the mountains locally reaches the tree-line. The imagines usually feed on Asteraceae and Apiaceae, sometimes on Cimicifugo; they are capable of substantial migrations.

FLIGHT PERIOD: prolonged, late June/early September.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied mostly on the upland Kuznetskoe Nagorye and Altai (Y.P. Korshunov). Foodplants: Viola, in Europe also Rubus (Rosaceae). Eggs: pear-shaped with 20-22 vertical ribs, at first yellow, later become brownish; laid singly, mostly of tree trunks and branches near the foodplant. Young larva: blueish-grey with two white streaks along back and yellowish-brown spinules; it hibernates in the leaf fall soon after hatching. Mature larva: about 45 mm long; brown with two yellow lines on back and two ones on either side, besides, there are dark dashes and black and yellow dots on sides; spiracles ringed with yellow; spines long, brownish-red on back and black on sides; prothorax bears two much longer narrow processes; head black with white specks. Pupa: brownish-grey, pale- or dark- brown or yellowish with dark marbled markings, on dorsal side there are two obtuse prominences and five pairs of golden knobs of different sizes. In the Mana River valley (the E Sayan) a pupa was found on the stem of Trollius asiaticus.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 27-36 mm. Hind wing underside is greenish with wide transversal silvery-white stripes. Females of a grey, with green flash, colouration (f. valesina Esper, 1793) are frequent.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The most part of the range is occupied with the nominotypical subspecies paphia. Ssp. neopaphia Fruhstorfer, 1907 (= sachalinensis Matsumura, 1925) is known from Priamurye, Primorye, and the Sakhalin, it differs by a somewhat enlarged black pattern and the absence of f. valesina; ssp. geisha Hemming, 1934 (pro paphioides Butler, 1879) was reported for South Kuriles; besides, the form virescens Nakahara, 1926 has been described from the southern Sakhalin.

TYPE LOCALITY: S Russia.

RANGE: Central and Eastern Europe, Middle and South Ural, the Kurgan Region, and, after a large gap, the southern Far East (to the village Zimmermanovka on the Amur), Sakhalin, South Kuriles, NE China, Korea, Japan.

HABITAT: meadow patches in broad-leaved, mixed, and, sometimes, dark-needle coniferous forests, also peat-bogs.

FLIGHT PERIOD: from middle June to autumn.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Schwarz, 1948 and others) and Japan (Fukuda et al., 1982). Foodplants: Viola (V. canina, V. palustris, and others). Eggs: conical with 17 lengthwise ribs, light yellow, later become purple. Hibernation occurs at the stage of the egg or just hatched larva. Mature larva: reddish-grey or brownish with two narrow interrupted cream-white or yellowish lines on back and a row of six oval black spots on either side; spines are red and branched. Pupa: glossy, brownish or dark-brown, with narrow black or yellowish lines; most frequently suspended on dry vertical stems near the ground..

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 26-35 mm. Fore wing has a straight outer margin and, in males, dark andraconial stripes along veins 2 and 3. Basal and outer halves of hind wing underside are of different colours, being separated by elongate white spots, the former is greenish-ochre, while the latter is pinkish-brown with a lilac tint; in females there is usually a small white apical spot on fore wing upperside.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: Ssp. laodice Pallas, 1771 inhabits the European part of Russia, Southern and Middle Ural. The butterflies from the Far East have in general larger black spots on wing upperside and are more variable individually and geographically, the following subspecies being reported: ssp. ussurica Kardakov, 1928: for forest region of Priamurye and Primorye; ssp. fletcheri Watkins, 1924: the Lowland of Lake Chanka; ssp. produota Matsumura, 1929: the Furughelm and Popov islands; ssp. ferruginea Watkins, 1924: the Sakhalin; ssp. japonica Ménétriés, 1857 (= tomaridice Bryk, 1942): the S Kuriles.

TYPE LOCALITY: Primorye.

RANGE: Middle Priamurye, Primorye, the southern Sakhalin, the South Kuriles, NE China, Korea, Japan.

HABITAT: meadows and clearings in broad-leaved and mixed forests, on open moderate elevations. The imagines occur together with A. laodice, but substantially less frequent, they often feed on Sorbaria sorbifolia.

FLIGHT PERIOD: July/middle August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Japan (Fukuda et al., 1982); they resemble those of A. laodice. Foodplants: Viola. Eggs: conical, laid singly or in small batches on dead leaves or lichens. The larvae start feeding in early spring, they usually hide among withered leaves on the ground. Mature larva: greyish-brown with two narrow yellowish-white streaks on back and dark spots laterally of them; spines brown, covered with whitish hairs. Pupa: brownish with marking, which is extremely dense on wing cases, and golden spots on thorax; the latter bears a prominence, on abdomen there are two rows of projections.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 30-38 mm. Fore wing has a concave outer margin and, in males, dark andraconial stripes along veins 1, 2 and 3. On fore wing upperside there is a figure resembling capital Greek "theta" in cell. In females there is a light spot at fore wing outer margin, yellow above and white beneath. Hind wing underside have a transversal stripe composed of silvery spots which divides internal greenish-yellow and outer pinkish-brown wing halves.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The Kurile islands are inhabited by the Japanese subspecies lysippe Janson, 1877, differing from the nominotypical one by an enlarged black pattern on wing upperside.

TYPE LOCALITY: China.

RANGE: southern regions of Primorye (the Gamova Peninsula, the Popova island, the settlement Khasan, the Chanka Lowland), North-East, Central, and South China, Korea, reported for Khabarovsk (Nebaikin, 1985). A local species.

HABITAT: forb/Calamagrostis dry meadows and oak open woods on barren low elevations.

FLIGHT PERIOD: late July/middle September.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Japan (Fukuda et al., 1982). Foodplants: Viola (in Primorye Viola mandshurica). Eggs are laid by 1-3 on withered leaves, stems and gravel near the foodplants; the larvae hatch after 20-27 days and hibernate on the empty egg shells. Mature larva: grey or blueish-grey with a yellow streak along back and rows of brownish spines. Pupa: ochre- or dark- brown.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 31-42 mm. Wing upperside light-ochre coloured, black spots of postdiscal row reduced to dots or entirely; hind wing underside pattern consists of rounded silver spots on dark-ochre background.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: Primorye is inhabited by the subspecies coreana, 1882.

TYPE LOCALITY: Sweden.

RANGE: Europe, Anterior and Central Asia, E Kazakhstan, the south of Ural, Siberia (northwards in Siberia to the southern taiga zone), and the Far East, Mongolia, N China. East of Zabaikalye is known by few records only.

HABITAT: various types of meadows; in the mountains of S Siberia reaches the altitude of 2200 m. The imagines often occur together with A. adippe but usually much less frequently. They feed on various Fabaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Asteraceae, Apiaceae and other plants.

FLIGHT PERIOD: late June/late August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Henriksen, Kreutzer, 1982 and others). Foodplants: Viola, reported also Plantago and Onobrychis. Eggs: conical with 14-15 lengthwise and numerous transversal ribs, glossy, yellowish- or reddish-yellow; laid by 1-3 on or near the foodplant; as a rule hibernate. Mature larva: reddish-brown, with a square black spot on the back of each segment, which is divided by a white back line and bordered with a white spot on each side; spines light-grey, rose or purple, covered with black hairs; a pair of spines just behind head longer than other; head yellowish-brown. Pupa: reddish- brown or brown-green with metallically glittering spots on spiny prominences on dorsal side; suspended in hidden places on stems, bark or branches.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 23-33 mm; in males andraconial stripes (sex brands) along veins on the fore wing weakly expressed; pattern of hind wing underside consists of the postdiscoidal row of ocelli and large silvery spots. In Ural and W Siberia a form with these spots being of the same colour as the background (f. eris Meigen) comprises about 70% of individuals. Similar species: A. adippe.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The butterflies of Ural and W Siberia are close to the nominotypical subspecies; ssp. changaica Reuss, 1922, described for Zabaikalie and differing by a larger size, lighter ground colour and fine black pattern, ranges in the mountains of S Siberia; ssp. voraxides Reuss, 1921, approaching the nominotypical one, inhabits S Primorye.

TYPE LOCALITY: Austria.

RANGE: The non-tropical Eurasia northwards to the middle taiga zone, the Sakhalin, S Kuriles, Japan.

HABITAT: various types of meadows, in the mountains reaches the tree-line. Imagines keep to flowering herbs, such as Cimicifugo, Sanguisorba, Trifolium, Dianthus, Origanum, Dracocephalum, Campanula, Sonchus, Inula, Crepis, etc.

HABITAT: middle June/late August, depending on the locality.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Viola, besides, Polygonum was also reported. Eggs: pear-shaped, yellowish or greenish, later become reddish, with 18 longitudinal light-spotted ribs. Hibernation - at the stage of egg or first-instar larva. Mature larva, according to description by O. Kosterin from SE Chita Region: in general dark brown with six row of spines; on the thoracic segments the spines of the lowest row are absent and replaced with light lengthwise streaks, while the spines of the 2nd row are absent on segment 1 (which have two spines only) and shifted to the hind margins of segments 2 and 3. The dorsal side is dark-brown with a fine reticulate darker ornament. Along the back there is a light-grey stripe interrupted on each segment between the pair of upper spines, in front of these spines the line divides a pair of large black irregularly quadrangular spots. The segment joints on the back are ash-grey, lighter than the ground colour. On either side a black stripe, light bordered above, goes through the bases of the spines of the 2nd row. The spines, head and sides are light brown with tiny lighter dots. On the head there are dark stripes along the seams forming a double triangular chevron and dark spots at the eyes. According to observations by Y.P. Korshunov (1969) larvae choose hidden places for pupation, such as bases of grass leaves, concavities on tree trunks etc., and make a loose silken net with large irregular cells. Pupa (from SE Chita Region, according to O. Kosterin): evenly reddish-brown with two rows of glittering knobs of which those on the mesothorax and 1st and 2nd abdominal segments are largest; besides, these two abdominal segments bear an additional pair of small glittering knobs laterally of the knobs of the main pair.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 25-36 mm; in males androconial stripes along veins 2 and 3 are conspicuous; pattern of hind wing underside is paler than in A. niobe; hind wing underside resemble that of A. niobe. In Ural and W. Siberia a form is common with the silvery spots replaced with those only slightly differing from the ground colour (f. cleodoxa Ochsenheimer, 1807). In the Baikal region and eastwards a form predominates with an intensive greenish suffusion of the hind wing underside. Similar species: A. niobe, A. aglaja.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The following taxa has been described: zarewna Fruhstorfer, 1912: Irkutsk; vorax Butler, 1871: the Amur; xanthodippe Fixsen, 1887: the Ussuri; satakei Nakahara, 1926: the Sakhalin; doii Matsumura, 1928: the S. Kuriles. The taxon pallescens Butler, 1873, described from Japan, is considered by Korean authors as a separate species and reported also for Kentei, the Usury, and China,

TYPE LOCALITY: Sweden.

RANGE: The non-tropical Eurasia northwards to the northern border of the middle taiga zone, in the Ob' basin recorded up to the polar regions, the Sakhalin, the Kuriles, Japan.

HABITAT: various meadows, including highland ones. The imagines are capable of substantial migrations. Feeding of imagines was observed on Filipendula ulmaria, Veronica longifolia, Origanum vulgare, Campanula glomerata, Centaurea scabiosa, Crepis sibirica, etc., they are frequent on shingle banks and wet ground.

FLIGHT PERIOD: in the southern range is prolonged, late June/early September, in the middle taiga zone and highlands - middle July/late August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Eckstein, 1913 and others). Foodplants: Viola, from Europe were also reported Polygonum bistorta, Vicia tenuifolia. Eggs: truncated conical with 26-28 lengthwise ribs, at first yellowish-white, later become reddish-brown; laid by 1-3 underside the leaves or on stems of the foodplant or, less frequently, on various substrate near it. Larvae hibernate at early instars. Mature larva: up to 45 mm; brownish-black with tiny white dots, double interrupted white line along back, slanting light streaks at its sides, bright-red spots at spiracles of each abdominal segment, and a yellow line on either side just above legs and prolegs; head and branched spines are dark. Pupa: brown with black areas on thorax; wing cases prominent, they exhibit a marbled pattern; abdomen strongly bent. The pupa is suspended on leaf underside.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 23-36 mm; pattern of hind wing underside consists of large silver spots on a muddy-green ground colour; no ocelli present in postdiscoidal area.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: ssp. borealis Strand, 1901 ranges in Ural and the most part of Siberia; ssp. kenteana Stichel was reported for Zabaikalye; ssp. fortuna Janson, 1877 inhabits Priamurye and Primorye; Southern Primorye is inhabited with the most large ssp. graeseri Kardakov, 1928; the Sakhalin butterflies are known under the name matsumurai Nakahara, 1926 (= otoniana Matsumura, 1928); for the South Kuriles ssp. basalis Matsumura, 1928 (= chishimensis Matsumura, 1928) was reported.

T.s.: Papilio hecate [Denis et Schiffermuller], 1775.

F.w.l.: 15-26 mm. Wing upperside fulvous with dark spots. Hind wing underside has a yellowish band in discoidal area composed of angular spots; postdiscoidal area contains five, rarely six, spots. A Palearctic genus with three species.

TYPE LOCALITY: Germany.

RANGE: The non-tropical Eurasia, locally as north as the subpolar regions, the Sakhalin, the Kuriles, Japan.

HABITAT: meadows of various kinds; in the mountains rises up to the tree-line. Feeding of imagines was observed on Trifolium pratense, T. repens, T. lupinaster, Polygonum, Goniolimon speciosum, Geranium sylvaticum, Veronica longifolia, Origanum vulgare, Thymus, Inula salicina, Scabiosa centaurea, Allium (Korshunov, 1969), on the Koni Peninsula in the Magadan Region - on Saussuraea oxyodonta (Kosterin, 1994).

FLIGHT PERIOD: in the southern areas prolonged, middle June/middle August, in Kamchatka and the Magadan Region - in the second half of the summer.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Filipendula ulmaria, Sanguisorba officinalis, Rubus saxatilis, and other Rosaceae, and also Viola. Eggs: light-yellow, pear-shaped, with 12 longitudinal ribs; laid singly on leaf underside; may hibernate. The larva feeds only at night; it usually hibernate at early instars. In the Novosibirsk Region (O. Kosterin) and the mountains of South Siberia (Y.P. Korshunov) the larvae were found only on Filipendula ulmaria. Mature larva (O. Kosterin): light-brown with a complicated lengthwise ornament and a double white dorsal stripe bordered with a dark-brown line with a very fine white rim beneath. Two more dark-brown lines with fine white rims go through either side: just beneath the upper spine row and through the bases of the 2nd spine row. Besides, a white stripe goes through the bases of the lowest spine row, beneath it the ground colour becomes dark-brown. The spines are reddish-yellow with black spines. The head is of the same colour, with small black specks on the upper part, a dark horseshoe-shaped spot on the forehead and dark spots at the eyes; the head bears two small knobs and is set with black bristles. Pupa: yellowish-grey with a reticulate ornament, a brownish-grey darkening on the ventral side of the abdomen and shadows of the same colour on the sides of the abdominal segments, and two slanting brands on the wing cases, the latter are dark-rimmed along the anal margin. There are two rows of glittering golden pointed knobs along the back.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 15-25 mm (in ssp amurensis - to 24 mm). As different from B. daphne, in the butterflies from Ural, South Siberia, Priamurye, Primorye, and the Sakhalin the black spots at the outer margin of the hind wing upperside are fused into a contiguous band; as different from B. hecate, the pattern of the hind wing underside consists of brownish lines and spots. Similar species: N. daphne.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The species is very variable geographically, the following taxa having been described from the territory considered: vitimensis Wnukowsky, 1929: (pro borealis Seitz, 1908): Ural, West and East Siberia; paidicus Fruhstorfer, 1907: the Altai Mts.; adalberti Fruhstorfer, 1916 (pro sibirica Seitz, 1908): the Sayans; limpida Krulikovsky, 1909 (pro clara Staudinger, 1892): Zabaikalie; amurensis Staudinger, 1887: Priamurye and North Primorye; tarnis Fruhstorfer, 1919: the Ussuri River basin; magadanica Kurenzov,1970: the Magadan Region; siopelus Fruhstorfer, 1907: Kamchatka; parvimarginalis Nakahara, 1926 (pro karafutonis Matsumura, 1925): the Sakhalin; tigroides Fruhstorfer,1907: the South Kuriles.

TYPE LOCALITY: Central Europe.

RANGE: The forest-steppe zone of Eurasia, the Sakhalin, the Kuriles, Japan. A local species.

HABITAT: dry meadows in deciduous and mixed, mostly valley, woods. In Zabaikalye feeding of imagines was observed on Thymus serpillum, Scabiosa ochroleuca (Y. Korshunov)

FLIGHT PERIOD: in South Ural in June and early July; in Altai and easterly: late June/early August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Eckstein, 1913 and others). Foodplants: Viola, Rubus idaeus, Rubus caesius, Filipendula, Sanguisorba officinalis. Eggs: conical with 14-16 lengthwise ribs, at first yellowish, later become reddish- purple; laid singly on the foodplant leaf underside. Mature larva: dark-brown with two yellowish streaks along back and three orange-yellow ones on either side; spines ochre-yellow with black tips; head yellowish-brown with brown spots and two short spinules. Pupa: ochre- or yellowish-grey with dark marbled bordering of wing cases; its strongly humped back has golden lunules with spinules on abdominal segments.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 21-29 mm. Black spots at outer margin of hind wing upperside are not fused into a band and may only be connected with black strokes; pattern of hind wing underside consists of brownish lines and spots, butterflies from Zabaikalye, Priamurye and Primorye have a lilac submarginal band. Similar species: N. ino.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: South and Middle Ural and Altai are inhabited by the nominotypical subspecies; Pribaikalye, Zabaikalye, Priamurye, Primorye - by ssp. ochroleuca Fruhstorfer, 1907; the Sakhalin and Kunashir - by iwatensis Okano, 1943.

TYPE LOCALITY: Austria.

RANGE: S Europe, Anterior and Central Asia, Kazakhstan, S Ural, steppen regions of W Siberia, Altai, the West Sayan.

HABITAT: the patches of herb/grass steppes and steppefied meadows at pine wood edges, ravines, rock outcrops, dry barren mountain slopes. Feeding of imagines was observed on Trifolium, Heracleum dissectum, Goniolimon speciosum, Viburnum opulus, Galium verum and others.

FLIGHT PERIOD: June in Ural, in S Siberia locally to the end of July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Niculescu, 1965). Foodplants: Filipendula vulgaris, reported also Onobrychis and Viola. Eggs: pear-shaped with 9-10 lengthwise ribs. Larva: brown. Pupa: chestnut-brown with paired golden spots on back, its phase lasts for fortnight.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 18-25 mm; hind wing underside colouration contrasted due to black lines and spots, without colours; submarginal area with two characteristic rows of transversal black dashes. Similar species: N. ino.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The butterflies of S Ural, the West Siberian Lowland, N and W Altai approach to the nominotypical subspecies; based on the old collections by H. Elwes from Altai (the villages Onguday, Kuray, the Chuyskaya Step') ssp. warren Kudrna, 1974 has been described.

Ts.: Papilio lathonia Linnaeus, 1758.

F.w.l. of our species: 16-26 mm. Wing upperside ochre-orange with separate black spots. On hind wing underside the central band consists of spots with rounded angles; the largest of them, as well as the basal spots and spots at the outer margin, are silver; postdiscoidal area contains a row of seven dark spots with light pupils.

A world-wide distributed genus with 12 species.

TYPE LOCALITY: Sweden.

RANGE: Europe, N Africa, the western half of Asia eastwards to the Upper Yenisei River basin, W Mongolia and the Himalaya; in Siberia does not penetrate northwards of the southern taiga belt.

HABITAT: dry meadows, fields, wasting lands, in the mountains of S Siberia reaches the tree-line. The males often rest on plots of barren ground, most frequently on roads, and chase out any passing butterfly.

FLIGHT PERIOD: early May/late August in two broods. The maximum abundance is usually observed in July, but active migration of imagines results in varying developmental schedule in different sites and different years. The second brood imagines often overwinter and fly early in spring.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Eckstein, 1913 and others) and in Siberia. Foodplants: Viola, in the fields most frequently connected with a ruderal V. arvensis; Onobrychis arenaria, Anchusa, and Rubus were also reported. Eggs: greyish- white, obtuse conical with 20-22 lengthwise and also numerous irregular transversal ribs; laid singly on the foodplant leaves. In Siberia the larvae were observed in May and July. In the Novosibirsk Region (Y.P. Korshunov) females were observed to lay eggs by 1-2 on seedlings of Polygonum lapatifolia (Polygonaceae) and Stellaria media (Caryophyllaceae). Mature larva: up to 40 mm in length; greyish-black with tiny white dots, with two brown lines on either side and a white or yellowish stripe along back usually split into separate triangular spots with black or brown segment joints; spines short, brick-red or black, those of the low and middle rows emerging from brick-red warts; head cordate, brown or yellowish-brown with a dark face and two reddish spots above, without spines. Pupa: brownish or ash-grey with a white spot at wing case apex, a white transversal band in the middle of the body, and a yellowish lengthwise streak and golden spots on back. Hibernation occurs at any phase (including imago), most frequently in larval or egg one.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 17-26 mm. Fore wing outer margin straight or slightly concave; silver spots underside hind wing large, occupying a great area.

TYPE LOCALITY: the Irkutsk Province.

RANGE: Polar and Subpolar Ural, the Putorana Plateau, the mountains of South and East Siberia, Kamchatka, the mountains of Mongolia, N China, Tibet. A local species.

HABITAT: meadow, dwarf-birch, or stony tundras, alpine meadows, in the mountains of South Siberia at altitudes of 1600-2900 m; in Polar Ural - mostly meadows in river valleys surrounded by larch-spruce open woodland.

FLIGHT PERIOD: early June/July in moderate altitudes, middle July/late August in highlands and in the North.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 16-21 mm. Fore wing outer margin slightly convex; on hind wing underside among silver spots the central one is prominent as being very elongate.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: In Pribaikalye and E Siberia there ranges ssp. eugenia Eversmann, 1847 (= vega Christoph, 1889, described from Yakutia). Butterflies from Altai and the Sayans, known as montana Bang-Haas, 1906 have a somewhat paler ground colour of hind wing underside; butterflies from Polar Ural have a similar appearance. Butterflies from S Zabaikalye (the mountain Golets Sokhondo) differ by on average larger size and a pale-grey wing upperside ground colour in females. Such dark females predominate also in populations of other rather arid highlands of S Siberia and Mongolia.

Ts..: Papilio selene [Denis et Schiffermuller], 1775.

F.w.l.: 14-32 mm. Wing upperside vary from ochre-coloured to brick-red, with black spots; postdiscoidal area of both wings has a row of roundish spots; on hind wing underside this row contains 6-7 spots. A peculiar element of the hind wing underside pattern is a discoidal band which is lighter than the ground-colour. Having similar appearance, the species can be identified mostly by the hind wing underside. Further in the text only its pattern is characterized.

About 35 species of this Holarctic genus inhabit different tundra, meadow and marshy landscapes of the non-tropical Eurasia and North America. The formation center of this genus is thought to be in the mountainous regions of NE Asia, which retains the maximal species diversity until present.

TYPE LOCALITY: Koenigsberg (at present Kaliningrad).

RANGE: The temperate Eurasia northwards to the forest-tundra, the Sakhalin, North America. A local species.

HABITAT: floodland grass fens, peat meadows, alpine meadows, meadow and wet dwarf-birch tundras, open peat-moss bogged up woodland, raised bogs (including the "ryams" of the forest- steppe), rarely pine woods. In the mountains this species occurs as high as 2600 m above sea level (SE Altai). The butterflies were observed to feed on the flowers of Polygonum, Hedysarum, Scorzonera radiata, Veronica, Ledum, Trientalis europaea etc.

FLIGHT PERIOD: mostly middle June/July, in the highlands and forest-tundra zone - in July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Eckstein, 1913, and others). Foodplants: in S Ural and Siberia Polygonum bistorta, P. viviparum (Polygonaceae), Vaccinium uliginosum (Vacciniaceae), Trollius europaeus (Ranunculaceae), from other regions also Viola palustris (Violaceae), Thalictrum, Caltha (Ranunculaceae), Pentaphylloides fruticosa (Rosaceae), Andromeda polyfolia (Ericaceae) are known. Eggs: conical with numerous ribs and an apical dimple, at first cream-white, later fulvous- brown; laid in batches by 2-4, more rarely by up to 20 ones underside foodplant leaves. Larva: brown but looks yellowish or silvery-grey due to numerous lighter markings on back and sides, there is a yellow line on back and either side; head brown; spines orange, covered with minute hairs. It hibernates in the second instar. Pupa: pale-brown with dark spots and brown streaks on wing cases.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 18-23 mm. Discal band composed of angular silvery-white or ochreous spots; postdiscal area contain six small black-rimmed spots of the same colour.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The nominotypical subspecies penetrates eastwards to South and Middle Zauralye [Transuralia]. The mountains of South Siberia are inhabited by ssp. acidalia Boeber, 1809 (= asiatica Staudinger, 1901) described from Pribaikalye and differing from the nominotypical one by smaller size and a more fine black pattern. In the forest-tundra and taiga zones of Asia there widely ranges ssp. ossiana Herbst, 1800 differing by a darker ground colour of both wing sides and a silvery colour of discal band on hind wing underside in both sexes.

TYPE LOCALITY: Vienna.

RANGE: The temperate Eurasia northwards to the forest-tundra, the Sakhalin, the Kuriles, Japan (Hokkaido), the temperate North America.

HABITAT: forest and forest-steppe meadows, in the North also meadow and dwarf-birch tundras; in the mountains goes up to the tree-line. The imagines were observed to feed on the flowers of Taraxacum, Polygonum, Crepis, Inula (Y. Korshunov).

FLIGHT PERIOD: in the southern range - in two broods, in June and August, respectively, in the taiga zone and in the mountains - a single brood flies in July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Eckstein, 1913, and others). Foodplants: Viola, less frequently Fragaria, in the north also Vaccinium uliginosum. Eggs: thimble-shaped with 16-18 longitudinal ribs, at first pale-yellow, later become greenish; laid singly or in small clusters on upperside of foodplant leaves. Mature larva: reddish-brown with light dots, double whitish streak along back and three yellowish lines on either side; spines ochre-yellow, reddish, or brown, with black hairs; those of a pair behind head much longer. In the southern range a part of larvae develop faster and give rise to a not abundant second brood, the rest of the larvae hibernate and pupates in May. Pupa: brown with yellowish-brown wing cases and four silver spots on its sides; suspended on a stem or petiole.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 16-21 mm. Discal band is composed of angular yellow spots and contains three silver spots, the other spots are yellow; there are seven silver spots at outer margin accompanied internally with six dark dots. Similar species: C. perryi.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The nominotypical subspecies ranges in the forest and forest-steppe zones of Siberia, butterflies from the mountains of Bureya, Priamurye and also Kamchatka, which have a somewhat more fine black pattern, are attributed to the same subspecies. Polar and Subpolar Ural and the forest-tundras of Siberia are inhabited by ssp. hela Staudinger, 1871 (= obscurum Sedykh, 1977), differing by a smaller size and a darker ground colour and dull silvery spots. The butterflies of the mountains of Bureya, Priamurye and Primorye are attributed to ssp. dilutior Fixsen, 1887 differing by narrower and paler wings and a weakly expressed basal suffusion in females.

TYPE LOCALITY: the Posiet Bay near the Gamov Peninsula.

RANGE: Priamurye, Primorye, NE China, Korea.

HABITAT: damp forest meadows in Korean pine-tree and other forests, rivulet valleys.

FLIGHT PERIOD: June and then August/September, in two broods.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 18-20 mm. In both sexes wing upperside ground colour is duller than in C. selene, hind wing underside with an intensive pattern and saturated colouration, silver spot between veins Cu and 2A contiguous, its fore margin straight (in C. selene this spot is either split into two or its fore margin curved, often V-shaped).

SYSTEMATICAL NOTES: Earlier attempts were made to attribute the taxon perryi to Clossiana iphigenia Graeser, 1888, and only Watkins (1924) voted for its species independence, that has now been proved by Takahashi (1995). However, this author considered that perryi has a synonym dilutior Fixsen, 1887 and mentioned the other sympatric taxon as C. selene sugitani (Seok, 1938). We didn't see Seok's description, but, to our mind, the problem was fully clarified already by Seitz (1932), where pictures of the types of perryi and dilutior and good diagnostic features were given and there is a direct indication that perryi has no relation to iphigenia. We now know that in the environs of Khabarovsk and on the Khekhtsir mountain range there present both taxa, perryi and selene, why in the ISEA collection specimens of both have been found collected on the same glade at Gornotayozhnaya Station in Primorye by V.V. Dubatolov. However, in the southern Primorye C. perryi predominates.

TYPE LOCALITY: Middle and South Ural.

RANGE: The forest-steppe and forest zones from Povolzhye to the Far East; the mountains of South Siberia, the Sakhalin, Japan. The northern border needs in clarification, judging by few findings in the Lower Priobye (the town Labytnangi), the northern East Siberia (the Suntar-Khayata mountain range the Nera River, the mountains Madaunskie Gol'tsy), West Chukotka (the settlement Bilibino) it lies in the forest-tundra zone. Westwards of Altai this species becomes rare.

HABITAT: in the southern Far East: dry meadows, steppefied slopes, waste lands; in more westerly range: forest and forest- steppe meadows, open larch and pine woods; bogs in the southern and middle taiga belts, raised peat bogs (ryams) in the forest- steppe; in the mountains sometimes reaches the tree-line.

FLIGHT PERIOD: in Ural and Siberia, as a rule, in one brood in middle June/middle July, locally until middle August; in Primorye - in two broods in late May/June and August/September.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Viola is known from the southern range.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 17-23 mm. Discoidal band is composed of yellowish spots, less angular than in C. selenis, three of which can have a certain silver flash; silver or white marginal spots absent.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The nominotypical subspecies is known from Middle and South Ural. In South Siberia there ranges ssp. sibirica Ershov,1870 (= festiva Krulikovsky, 1923, with type locality E Siberia; = meinhardi Sheljuzhko, 1929, with type locality Tomsk) differing by a darker ground colour of outer part of hind wing underside; specimens from montane tundras of the Madaunskie Gol'tsy (the Magadan Region) were described as ssp. kononovi Kurenzov, 1970. This subspecies is characterized with an even reddish-brown ground colour of hind wing underside and weakly expressed postdiscal lilac lunules. From the northern Sakhalin ssp. onorensis Matsumura, 1925 is described, which is close to sibirica; Korea is inhabited with ssp. chpsensis Matsumura, 1927, which can be also found in the southern Primorye.

TYPE LOCALITY: Sweden.

RANGE: The temperate Eurasia north (in the Ob' River basin) to the forest-tundra, the Sakhalin, Japan (Hokkaido).

HABITAT: forest, forest-steppe, and highland meadows, in the mountains of South Siberia reaches an elevation of 2500 m. Imagines were observed to feed on Cimicifugo foetida, Polygonum bistorta, Comarum palustre, Veronica longifolia, Dracocephalum nutans, Aster alpinus, Taraxacum officinale, Crepis sibirica.

FLIGHT PERIOD: in the forest-steppe zone in late May/June, in the North and in highlands - in July; in South Ural a second brood can occurs in August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Lang, 1884, and others) and Siberia. Foodplants: Viola (in the Novosibirsk Region Viola hirta), less frequently Rubus and Fragaria (Rosaceae), in Finland (Seppanen, 1970) Vaccinium oxycoccum and Ledum palustre (Ericaceae s.l.), in the Far East (E.V. Novomodnyi) Waldsteinia ternata (Rosaceae) are known; Asteraceae and Hypericaceae were also reported. Eggs: thimble-shaped with 18-20 lengthwise ribs, at first greenish-yellow, later become brown; laid singly on foodplant leaves. The larvae hibernate after 2nd-3th molt. Mature larva, according to observations by O. Kosterin and O. Berezina in the Novosibirsk Region: black with six rows of spines, those of subdorsal row bright-yellow, of suprastigmal and substigmal rows reddish-brown, spine apices and branches black. On either side of each segment there are several grey spots of different sides between suprastigmal and substigmal spines, which form a diffuse lighter lateral stripe. Spines on prothorax don't differ from others in side. Pupa: grey with small dark specks and transversal dark strokes, forming double brackets on dorsal side of each segment; there is a dark stroke in the middle of wing cases.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 18-23 mm. Discal band consists of angular ochre-yellow spots, but the central spot is silver and conspicuous; dark spots of postdiscal row lack light pupils. Similar species: C. oscarus, C. iphigenia.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: weakly expressed. The taxa nephele Herrich-Schaffer (E Europe), orientisvivax Verity, 1932 (the E Sayan) and orphana Fruhstorfer, 1907 (Primorye) are quite close to the nominotypical subspecies, although in populations of forest-steppe regions larger light coloured butterflies with less expressed black pattern predominate. Somewhat more light coloured butterflies are found also in Kamchatka from where ssp. kamtschadalus Seitz, 1908 was described.

TYPE LOCALITY: the environs of Nikolaevsk-na-Amure.

RANGE: Lower Priamurye, the eastern ridges of the mountains of Bureya, the Sikhote-Alin' (southwards to the Terney Bay), the Sakhalin, the South Kuriles, Japan, NE China.

HABITAT: damp meadows in dark-needle and mixed forests, coastal meadows with the bush alder.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle June/middle August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Japan (Fukuda et al, 1982). Foodplants: Viola selkirkii is known from the continent, V. grypoceras - from the Sakhalin. Eggs: greenish with white ribs; laid singly on foodplant leaves or near it on faded leaves. The larvae feed at daytime. Mature larva: dark-brown with rows of rosy spines. Pupa: slender, with a sharp prominence on thorax, brown, covered with tiny lighter knobs, abdomen lighter; wing cases with a marble pattern.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 20-25 mm. Discal band consists of angular yellow spots, central spot silver; postdiscal spots contain silver dots. Similar species: C. euphrosyne, C. oscarus.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The Sakhalin and Kunashir are inhabited by butterflies, described as ssp. sachalinensis Masumura, 1908, which little differ from the nominotypical subspecies ranging on the continent.

TYPE LOCALITY: Altai.

RANGE: The temperate Eurasia to the east of the Priobyethe Ob' River basin), the Sakhalin; locally penetrates far northwards, to the town Surgut in the West and to Magadan in the East. Reported for Middle Ural (V. and A. Lukhtanov) but we have no data from there. A local species.

HABITAT: forest meadows of lowlands and mountains, open peat-moss larch woodland ["mar's"]; in the Koni Peninsula (the Magadan region) these butterflies were observed on meadows among sparse bushes of dwarf pine (Pinum pumila) and bush alder (Dushekia fruticosa). Feeding of imagines was observed on Polygonum bistorta, Dracocephalum ruyschiana, Tragoppgon orientalis etc.

FLIGHT PERIOD: late May/July; in the Magadan Region middle July/middle August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Viola.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 19-26 mm. Hind wing underside ground colour brick-red; discal band composed of yellowish spots without brilliancy; there are seven semicircular silver spots at outer margin.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: Siberia, the mountains of Bureya and the lower Amur basin are inhabited by ssp. oscarus. Ssp. oscaroides Ménétriés, 1859, described from Yakutia, is close to it, differing by somewhat larger black spots on wing upperside. Middle Priamurye and Primorye are inhabited by a larger and more brightly coloured ssp. australis Graeser, 1888. For the Sakhalin ssp. sachalinensis Matsumura this name, as a homonym, has been replaced by Clossiana oscarus insularis Korshunov, 1996..

TYPE LOCALITY: "the Irkutsk Province".

RANGE: The forest-tundra and forest zones from the Arkhangelsk Region to the Magadan regions and Chukotka (the Anadyr' River) (yet not found in Kamchatka); the adjacent mountains, the Sakhalin; found also within the forest-steppe of West Siberia: in North Baraba at the village Kayly, in the surroundings of Novosibirsk. In the southern part of its range this is a local species.

HABITAT: damp forest meadows, dwarf birch thickets, raised bogs, open bogged up larch woods, pine woods; in the mountains reaches the tree-line. In the Krasnoyarsk environs the imagines were observed to feed on the flowers of Scutellaria galericulata, Galium menotispermum, Comarum palustre, Pulmonaria officinalis.

FLIGHT PERIOD: in the southern taiga belt late June/middle August, in the forest-tundra in July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: not studied. Probable foodplant on Polar Ural: Polygonum bistorta.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 18-26 mm. Discal band consists of angular ochre-coloured spots, three of which may be silvered; postdiscoidal area is brownish with lilac spots and six large black spots, the postdiscoidal spots proximally with adjacent diffuse lunular lilac-coloured spots; outer margin with seven elongate silver spots.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: ssp. angarensis ranges in Pribaikalye, Zabaikalye and ?Priamurye. The butterflies from highlands (1300-2000 m above sea level) of the Sayans were described as ssp. alticola Sushkin et Tshetverikov,1907 differing by a small size, narrow wings, widened black pattern, especially in basal part, and narrow discal band on hind wing underside. By materials of Yakutia ssp. herzi Wnukowsky, 1927 was stated, rather close to alticola, it ranges in Central and East Siberia. In Ural and West Siberia ssp. samkoi Sheljuzhko, 1931 (with the type locality Tobol'sk) ranges. From the Sakhalin ssp. miakei Matsumura, 1919 was described, differing by a somewhat more pale upperside ground colour and large black spots on wing basal half while hose on outer half are somewhat reduced. Similar specimens are known from Lower Priamurye. In the Kedrovaya Pad' Nature Reservation the Korean subspecies hacutozana Matsumura, 1927 was recorded, earlier considered as an independent species (Kurenzov, 1970).

TYPE LOCALITY: the Alps of Tirol.

RANGE: The forest-tundra and forest zones from the Arkhangelsk Region to the Magadan regions and Kamchatka (the Anadyr' River) (yet not found in Chukotka); the adjacent mountains, the Sakhalin; found also within the forest-steppe of West Siberia: in North Baraba at the village Kayly, in the surroundings of Novosibirsk. In the southern part of its range this is a local species.

HABITAT: damp meadows, open tree stands, mostly in coniferous forests, dwarf birch thickets, raised bogs, open boggy larch woods; in the mountains reaches the tree-line. Feeding of imagines was observed on Polygonum bistorta, Spiraea beauverdiana, Geranium erianthum, Veronica longifolia, Ligularia sibirica, Senecio praticola, Crepis sibiiirica, Dactylorhiza fuchsii.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle June/August, depending on the locality.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Finland (Pekkarinen, 1977), in Ural (A.G. Tatarinov), in Japan (Fukuda et al., 1983). Foodplants: Viola altaica, V. biflora, V. repens, V. selkirkii, V. riviniana, V. canina, V. palustris are known. Eggs: yellow- greenish with white grainy bloom, later become grey, thimble- shaped with longitudinal ribs; laid singly on leaves of foodplant or near it on withered grass. According to observations by A.G. Tatarinov, the larvae appear after 10-11 days. They are 1-1.5 mm long, greenish-grey with numerous brown wartlets, on either side with a row of brown rings of irregular shape above spiracles on segments 4-11. The larvae are very active and start to feed immediately. They undergo a first molt after 6-7 days. The second instar larva: 7-9 mm long, black with fleshy spines and warts, each bearing a bunch of chetae; there is a yellowish stripe below spiracles and, on segments 5, 7, and 9, a yellowish spot between dorsal and lateral spines; head black with thin setae. The second molt occurs after 5-6 days, the colouration retains but the number of chetae increases so that the larva looks more "hairy". 5-7 days after (in middle August) the larva stops feeding and hides itself in dry litter, moss, stones, etc. where hibernates. According to observations in Finland (Pekkarinen, 1977), two hibernations is usually observed, at 2nd and 4th instar. The first instar larva is light-brown. Second instar larva: 6 mm long, dark with yellow spots on sides of segment 5, 7, and 9; head (with wartlets bearing chetae) and legs black. Third instar larva (if hibernation occurs in this stage): 7 mm long, brownish-grey with head, warts with chetae and dorsal pat of last segment black and ventral prolegs dark-brown; 1st segment bears two triangular convexities. Mature (5th instar) larva: about 23 mm long; brown with an interrupted yellow streak along back and a contiguous one along either side, with dark-brown spots at ventral prolegs; spines yellowish or pinkish with black chetae; head, legs and spiracles black; 1st segment bears two triangular convexities. Pupa: yellowish-brown or greyish with lighter brands, with conspicuous paired projections on head, thorax, and abdomen; leg and antennae cases black.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 17-23 mm. Hind wing underside ground colour ochre-brownish; discal band consists of angular ochre-coloured spots; the postdiscoidal area has a lilac tint at fore and anal margins and diffuse dark-brown spots; silver, white or distinct black spots absent.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: For Siberia ssp. borealis Staudinger, 1861 used to be reported, which was described from Lapland. However, in Ural, the Lower and Middle Priobye butterflies range with much enlarged black pattern and oval, extended along veins, postdiscal spots. We attribute them to ssp. transuralensis Sheljuzhko, 1931. In the mountains of South Siberia there ranges ssp. hypercala Fruhstorfer, 1907, stated from Altai, with smaller black spots, especially on fore wing underside where they are always separate from each other. For the southern Far East ssp. hyperusia Fruhstorfer, 1907 (= meridionalis Kardakov, 1928) was reported, which is characterized by a clear-cut black pattern, weakly expressed basal suffusion on hind wing upperside. The same subspecies was reported also for Kamchatka (Nordstrom, 1927). Butterflies from the Sakhalin were described under the name karafutonis Matsumuro, 1919.

TYPE LOCALITY: Lapland.

RANGE: The tundra, forest-tundra and northern forest zones of Eurasia, the adjacent mountain countries southwards to the Tarbagatai, Mongolia, and the Sikhote-Alin', the northern Sakhalin, the northern half of North America. A local species.

HABITAT: raised bogs, peat-moss open woodland, tundras of bushy, fruticulose, or Dryas/lichen types, in the mountains of South Siberia mostly marshy areas with dwarf birch and bush willows in brook headwaters, on plateau, saddles, flattened ridges at altitudes of 1900-3000 m. The imagines were observed to feed on Ledum palustre, Lagotis integrifolia, Polygonum viviparum, Pedicularis, Trientalis europaea.

FLIGHT PERIOD: in different sites from middle June (the middle taiga zone) to August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Scandinavia (Henriksen, Kreutzer, 1982). Foodplants: Rubus chamaemorus, from Alaska Dryas integrifolia is also known, and also Salix and Betula are known. A biennial species. Eggs: pale salmon-coloured, cone-shaped, ribbed. Larva after first hibernation: dark olive-green with six rows of black branched spines, set with fine light-brown dots and dense hairs, head black with two spines; ventral prolegs brown. Mature larva after second hibernation: brown with wide lateral lines composed of small pale-ochre spots. Pupa: obtuse, brown with darker wing cases and dorsal side, light lateral streaks, dark-brown spots on dorsal sides of segments, and pairs of pale spinules on abdomen.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 18-24 mm. Basal area of hind wing underside reddish-brown, postdiscal area is lighter, reddish-violet or ochre-brownish; discal band consists of roundish yellowish or brownish spots, two of which, central and that at fore margin, are much lighter and usually silvered.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: This species is very variable geographically. The nominotypical subspecies ranges in the zonal tundras, forest tundras and taiga zones of Eurasia; in the mountains of South Siberia ssp. alpestris Elwes, 1899 ranges, differing by a smaller size, paler wing upperside ground colour and narrower discal band on hind wing underside. For the southern Far East ssp. maritima Kardakov, 1928 was reported, which is characterized by an orange-yellow ground colour of wing upperside, a paler colouration of basal half of hind wing underside and rather a wide discal band. - in the southern Far East.

TYPE LOCALITY: the Arctic America.

RANGE: The zonal tundras and forest-tundras of Eurasia and North America.

HABITAT: subfrutex tundras (with Empetrum, Dryas, Cassiope, etc.) on flat elevations. The imagines keep low to the ground (and so are hardly noticeable) or congregate on meadow patches on southern slopes of river terraces and ravines, where they actively visit the flowers of Trientalis europaea, Taraxacum, Crepis nigrescens, Polygonum viviparum.

FLIGHT PERIOD: July/early August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Scandinavia (Henriksen, Kreutzer, 1982) and North America (Scott, 1986). Probable Polygonum viviparum, often growing under low willow shrubs, that may explain reports on Salix herbacea as a probable foodplant in Finland. Eggs: thimble-shaped, smooth with vague ribs and an apical dimple, at first cream-white, later become orange-yellow and fulvous-brown; laid singly on foodplants and other neighbouring plants. A biennial species. The larva hibernates at 1st and 4th instar. In the first year the larva is dark-brown with black back stripes, covered with dense hairs; spines dark-brown; head black with two spines and brown spots above eyes. Later cream-white lateral stripes appear. Pupation takes place between two silk-fastened leaves. Pupa: with brown spots and fulvous-brown lines along the back; abdominal segments 5-7 with numerous grey triangles accompanied with two black lunules.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 14-17 mm. Hind wing underside resembles much that of C. frigga but is more heavily suffused with dark scales.

TYPE LOCALITY: Sardinia.

RANGE: Mostly mountain regions of the temperate Eurasia, including Ural (from South to Subpolar), the southern half of Siberia NE to SW Yakutia (the Nyuya River). By few records is known from S Zabaykalye (the mountain Golets Sokhondo), the Lower Priamurye and the North Sakhalin (Kurentzov, 1970), N Korea (Yoo-Hang-Shin, 1991). A local species.

HABITAT: forest and highland meadows, open larch woodland, glades and roads in dark-needle and chernevaya (with fir dominating) taiga, stony and dwarf birch montate tundras; in Lower Priamurye and the Sakhalin - peat moss bogs. In West Siberia feeding of imagines was observed on Polygonum bistorta, Orostachys spinosa, Scabiosa ochroleuca, Myosotis caespitosa, Veronica longifolia, Dracocephalum nutans, Inula, Leucanthemum, Crepis sibirica.

FLIGHT PERIOD: late June/middle August, depending on the locality.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Polygonum bistorta reported from Middle Ural (Y.N. Baranchikov), Filipendula ulmaria and Trollius asiaticus from the Krasnoyarsk environs (Y.P. Korshunov), Viola and Vaccinium uliginosum from Europe. Eggs: thimble-shaped, ribbed, brownish with a white suffusion; laid singly underside leaves or on twigs of foodplants. The larva hibernates usually in the third instar. According to observations by A.G. Tatarinov in the Polar Ural, the larva hibernates in the first instar at the leaf base of Polygonum, without feeding. Mature larva: greyish-brown, ash-grey, or dark- brown, with black lateral and back stripes interrupted by the segment joints; spines yellow or dark-yellow set with black hairs; black head bears longer and lighter spines. Pupa: brownish- or yellowish-grey with a black pattern on back and wing cases; abdominal knobs black; the pupal stage lasts for 12- 14 days; pupation occurs on stems and leaves of Lilium martagon, Veratrum lobeliana, ferns (Korshunov, 1969).

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 19-24 mm. Discoidal band consists of angular ochre-coloured spots with veins suffused with brown, postdiscoidal area contains a row of lunular lilac spots distally of dark ocelli; outer margin without white or silvery spots.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: From Middle and South Ural the East European subspecies rossica Hemming, 1934 (= bivina Fruhstorfer, 1908) is known. North Ural, West Siberia and easterly ssp. staudingeri Wnukowsky, 1929, ranges, which differ by an enlarged black pattern, especially in the butterflies from Subpolar and North Ural, probably deserving separation into a special subspecies. For the Sakhalin ssp. miyakei Matsumura, 1919 has been described, probably, the same subspecies ranges in the lower Amur River basin.

TYPE LOCALITY: Lapland.

RANGE: Polar regions of Eurasia, Kamchatka, Alaska, North Canada.

HABITAT: in the Yamal Peninsula: riparian Carex/subfrutex associations among willow bushes within the subzone of typical tundras; in the Taymyr Peninsula - in the same biotopes and, besides, in polygonal tundras; in Chukotka and Kamchatka prefers in montane tundras of various types.

FLIGHT PERIOD: July/middle August, depending on the peculiarities of the year.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Probable foodplants: Cassiope tetragona is reported from Lapland, Salix arctica and S. reticulata from the Arctic America, Dryas integrifolia from Greenland. Eggs: light- yellow, with lengthwise ribs and tiny hairs. Larva and pupa are not known.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 15-19 mm. Discal band consists of angular ochre spots separated by brown-suffused veins, all or three (those at fore margin, in cell, at hind margin) of them being silvery whitish; submarginal dark spots have no light pupils, at outer margin there are seven elongate silver spots.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The most part of Siberia is inhabited by the nominotypical subspecies; Chukotka and Kamchatka - by ssp. butleri W.H. Edwards, 1883, differing by a more saturated ground colour of wing upperside and somewhat reduced dark postdiscal spots. Some authors consider it as an independent species.

TYPE LOCALITY: Austria.

RANGE: The forest-steppe and southern forest zones of Eurasia, east of Zabaikalye is known by few findings from West Yakutia, the Magadan Region, and the Ezop mountain range.

HABITAT: forest and forest-steppe meadows, in the mountains also larch parklands, alpine meadows and dwarf birch tundras up to 2500 m altitude (Central Altai).

FLIGHT PERIOD: late May/late June in the southern forest zone, in the mountains - to middle July; in the forest-steppe zone flies in two broods from in May/June and July/August. The flight period is prolonged so that the imagines of the first brood can fly up to middle July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Europe (Lang,884; Eckstein, 1913, etc.). Foodplants: Viola, also reported Rubus idaeus, Prunella vulgaris. Eggs: pale-green, truncated conical, with 20 lengthwise ribs, dimpled. Larva: up to 30 mm in length; dark- or blueish-grey with dark white-margined stripe along back, on either side of each segment there is a yellow spot ringed with wide black margin; spiracular line and head reddish-brown; spines yellowish or reddish, lighter on sides, they emerge from reddish-yellow warts; frons is marked with a black triangle. Pupa: chestnut-brown with golden spots.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 15-18 mm. Hind wing underside ground colour dark-brown with a distinct violet tint; spots of discal band roundish, three of them distinctly bright-silvered, cell with a yellow black-rimmed dot.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: weakly expressed. Small butterflies from the Altai highlands were described as ssp. alpina Elwes, 1899, which is pertained to the mountains of South Siberia.

TYPE LOCALITY: Sweden.

RANGE: North Europe, tundra, forest-tundra and forest zones of Asia; the adjacent mountain countries southwards to Mongolia, Japan (Hokkaido), the northern half of North America; found on the Sakhalin (the Tymovskii district, collected by S. Pervukhin, village Nogolinka, collected by E. Novomodnyi in 1990).

HABITAT: open pine or larch woods with lichen or peat-moss ground layer, raised bogs, damp Eriophorum meadows, thickets of willow bushes, bushy and subfrutex tundras; in the mountains of South Siberia the dwarf birch tundras of gentle northern slopes, marshy areas, damp forest openings, at 1000-2500 m altitudes. Butterflies often rest on wet moss, withered grass or ground at springs, observed to feed on Polygonum bistorta, Ledum palustre, Dryas octopetala.

FLIGHT PERIOD: in different sites from May (the southern taiga) to late July (the extreme North and high elevations), in one brood.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: in Siberia: Rubus chamaemorus, Vaccinium uliginosum, V. vitis-idaeus, Empetrum nigrum; in Scandinavia: Arctostaphilus uva-ursi, A. alpina; North America: Dryas integrifolia; Japan: Rhododendron aureum, Sieversia. Eggs: yellowish, later become orange; laid singly underneath leaves of foodplants or neighbouring plants. Larva at the first instar (Henricksen, Kreutzer, 1982): brownish-black, covered with long pale-brown hairs, which after the first molt are replaced by low branched red-brown hairy spines. Hibernation occurs at the fourth instar. Pupa: stout, purple-brown with a bent abdomen bearing two rows of small knobs; wing cases outlined with black; suspended beneath foodplant leaves close to the ground.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 16-21 mm. Hind wing underside mottled in a peculiar way: discal band outlined with dentate black lines with outer white rims, it consists of acute-angular spots stretched out along veins, 2-3 of spots white, the central being narrow and long, others suffused with brown scales.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The nominotypical subspecies is known from North Europe, Ural and the West-Siberian Lowland; Altai, the Sayans, S Pribaikalye, S Zabaikalye, and Yakutia are inhabited by ssp. jakutensis Wnukowsky, 1927 (= calais Fruhstorfer, 1916, type locality: Tuva) stated for Central Yakutia, it differs with a much more light (light-ochre) wing upperside ground colour, more fine black pattern, darker ground colour of basal part and reduced black postdiscal spots on hind wing underside.

TYPE LOCALITY: Nordkap (North Norvegia)

RANGE: Polar regions of Eurasia (including the Wrangel island) and North America.

HABITAT: subfrutex, Dryas or Cassiope, and stony tundras on hill tops and slopes, on plateau and river terraces in mountainous regions. In the surroundings of the settlement Tareya in the Taymyr Peninsula the imagines were observed to feed on Lagotis minor and Dryas octopetala (Korshunov et al., 1985).

FLIGHT PERIOD: depending on the locality, from July to middle August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES. The natural history of the species is poorly investigated, notwithstanding that this was the first butterfly species the biology of which was attempted to be studied in Siberia. Lewaski (1887) discovered mature larvae as long ago as in the end of the previous century, in the Shaitan mountains in the Taymyr Peninsula, on sunny slopes on 10th of May. They, according to the author's note, fed on "mosses". In the middle of June they pupate and the butterflies hatched after 20-22 days. By recent observations: foodplants: Dryas octopetala is known from Polar Ural, Cassiope tetragona and Vaccinium uliginosum from Lapland. Eggs: greenish-yellow with fine lengthwise ribs, laid singly or by 2-20. A biennial species hibernating just after hatching from the egg and in the last instar.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 17-23 mm. On fore wing upperside black dots at outer margin often fused into a streak, spots at the cell are also fused to each other. Basal part of hind wing underside reddish-brown, outer part ochre-fulvous. Discoidal band composed of angular spots, strongly dusted with brown scales, inconspicuous on ground colour; outer margin with seven roundish white spots. In male genitalia the apex of costal process of valva club-shaped. Similar species: C. distincta, C. erda.

TYPE LOCALITY: Yakutia.

RANGE: E Siberia from the Putorana Plateau (the Tanlakh River) to West Chukotka (the settlement Bilibino), south to the Lena River sources, Zabaikalye (the Udokan and Yablonovyy mountain range), and Lower Priamurye (Komsomol'sk-na-Amure). A local species.

HABITAT: meadows and rocks in the valleys of mountain rivers and brooks, open south-exposed slopes, pebble banks, open larch woods, montane tundras. On the Ezop mountain range the females keep to plants of Dryas octopetala.

FLIGHT PERIOD: middle June/middle July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: not studied. On the Suntar-Khayata mountains oviposition was observed by V. Dubatolov on Vaccinium vitis- idea, maybe Dryas octopetala is another host plant.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 21-27 mm. As different from similar species C. polaris, C. alberta, C. astarte and C. tritonia, wing ground colour more bright, ochre-orange, black spots being smaller and more distinct; pattern of hind wing underside also more bright and mottled; in male genitalia the apex of costal process of valva club- or shortened foot- shaped.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: poorly studied. The taxon dulkeiti Kurenzov, 1970, described as a species by a male and female from the Omsukchanskii mountain range in the Magadan Region, most probably in fact belongs to this species.

SYSTEMATICAL NOTE: As it was found out by V.V. Dubatolov in Vladivostok, the holotype (male) of the taxon dulkeiti Kurentzov, 1970 belongs to C. erda while the allotype (female) to the group astarte.

TYPE LOCALITY: Canada: the Alberta Province.

RANGE: This characteristic species for North American montane tundras has been found, together with Clossiana astarte, in the tundras of Chukotka (the Provideniya Bay, Goryachie KlyuchiHot Sources]) and to the west of the peninsula, on the Anyuyskiy mountain range.

HABITAT: stony tundras. The imagines keep to rocky crests and hill tops in tundras.

FLIGHT PERIOD: July/early August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Foodplants: Dryas octopetala (Kurentzov, 1970), from North America Dryas octopetala and Vaccinium were reported (Scott, 1986). Eggs: light-yellow. The larvae most probably hibernate twice.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 18-21 mm. Wing upperside ground colour is ochre, more dull than in C. erda, black basal suffusion being less developed than in C. polaris and C. astarte. Discal band on hind wing underside is somewhat wider than in C. astarte. In male genitalia the apex of costal process of valva club-shaped, that of caudal process has two teeth (Table...).

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: The subspecies kurentzovi Wyatt, 1961 was described from Chukotka, differing by a more developed black pattern on wing upperside, a darker ground colour of basal half on hind wing underside and a wider discal band.

TYPE LOCALITY: Pribaikalye.

RANGE: Pribaikalie, Zabaikalye, Priamurye, the mountains of Bureya, E Mongolia. A local species.

HABITAT: rock outcrops within the forest belt, steppefied slopes. Feeding of imagines was observed on Spiraea, Thymus, Scabiosa, Tragopogon orientalis (V.V. Ivonin).

FLIGHT PERIOD: early June/middle July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: L. Graeser (1888) observed females of the taxon amphilochus while laying eggs on low Saxifraga plants (most probably, S. bronchialis). He collected about 20 young larvae on abundant thickets of this plant growing on rocks, but they failed to overwinter.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l: 24-30 mm. Hind wing underside ground colour ochre-orange, discal band evenly ochre- or whitish-coloured, with a slight suffusion of dark scales. As different from C. astarte and C. matveevi, general pattern is more bright, dark basal suffusion on hind wing upperside is less expressed. As different from C. erda, in male genitalia the apex of costal process of valva is foot-shaped, caudal process is short, with 2-3 apical teeth (see Table...).

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: Ssp. tritonia is known from Pribaikalye. Butterflies from the Malakhanskii mountain range in Zabaikalye were described as elatus Staudinger, 1892; those from Upper Priamurye as amphilochus Ménétriés, 1857. Comparison of specimens from N Pribaikalye and Priamurye (the Komsomol'skii Nature Reservation) showed great differences not only in the wing pattern (the specimens from Priamurye have on hind wing underside a more evenly coloured ochre-yellow discal band and a more rounded white marginal spots isolated from the wing margins with black lunules) but also in the length of the caudal process of the valva in the male genitalia. Probably, they are different species, more extensive materials being necessary to solve this problem.

TYPE LOCALITY: Schooley's Mountain, New Jersey, USA.

RANGE: Polar Ural (the railway station 110th km), the Putorana Plateau, the Prilenskoe [pertained to the Lena River] Plateau, the mountains of East Siberia south to N Pribaikalye (the Khamar-Daban mountain range), Chukotka, the northern Far East, reported for Kamchatka (Sedykh, 1979) and the Central Sikhote Alin' Mts. (Kurentzov, 1971); Alaska. The western and southern borders need in clarification.

HABITAT: montane tundras, rock outcrops in dry open larch forests.

FLIGHT PERIOD: early June/middle July in the Prilenskoe Plateau, late June/late July in mountainous regions.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: On the Suntar-Khayata mountain range oviposition was observed by V.V. Dubattolov on dry peduncles of Saxifraga spinulosa, in Chukotka the butterflies keep to the bunches of Saxifraga punctata.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 17-26 mm. Hind wing underside ground colour varies from ochre-orange to reddish-brown. As different from C. tritonia, general pattern is more dull, dark basal suffusion on hind wing upperside is more expressed; on hind wing underside a discal band is strongly suffused with dark scales, in submarginal area there are a row of transversally elongate white spots united with wing margin with white strokes. As different from C. alberta, C. erda, C. polaris, and similarly to C. tritonia tritonia, in male genitalia the apex of costal process of valva is foot-shaped, caudal process, as different from C. matveevi, has 2-3 apical teeth.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: A complex taxon probably embracing several distinct species. The following subspecies are known: the Putorana Plateau; ssp. dubatolovi Korshunov, 1987 was described the Khamar-Daban mountain range (the surroundings of the Cherskiy peak); ssp. machati Korshunov, 1987 from Polar Ural (between 100th and 112th km of the railway Seyda - Labytnangi). Chukotka is inhabited by the smallest ssp. tschukotkensis Wyatt, 1961, characterizing by in general darker of wing upperside, ssp. distincta Gibson, 1920 is known from Alaska. Below a subspecies from the Prilenskoe Plateau is described.

Original description:

"...Butterflies from the Prilenskoenear [the Lena River] Plateau differ by relatively large size (f.w.l. is 22-24 mm in males, 23-26 mm in females) and the pattern of the hind wing underside.

Clossiana astarte ershovi Korshunov et P. Gorbunov, sbsp.n.

HOLOTYPE: A male. F.w.l. 22 mm. The wing upperside is fulvous with an intensive black pattern; the hind wing is substantially blackened in the basal half. The wing underside is mottled, a row of round black spots at the outer margin and their light rims are especially conspicuous. On the hind wing underside the outer half ground colour is reddish-brown; the discal band on the hind wing is more mottled than in other subspecies, it contain contrasted patches of whitish and brown colour.

MATERIALS: The Holotype : a male - 19.06.1968, the settlement Khaptagai on the Lena River (Yu. Ammosov). Paratypes: 2 males - 23.06 and 11.071987, the settlement Khaptagai, the road to Tammu (Yu. Ammosov); 2 females - 20.07.1962, Yakutsk, the botanical garden (Alexandrova); a male - 7.06.1979, the same locality; a male - 8.06.1985, the same locality (V. Dubatolov), a female - 23.06.1992, the same locality (P. Gorbunov).

The subspecies is dedicated to the memory of Ershov, Nokolai Grigoryevich (1837-1896), one of the first real members of the Russian Entomological Society, the author of numerous works and the first catalogue of the Siberian [an error - must be Russian - Yu.K.] butterflies."

Original description:

"MALE: 22.6-23.8 (in holotype 22.8 mm). The wing upperside is ochre-orange, more faded than in C. tritonia and C. erda and close to that in C. astarte. The black pattern in general corresponds to that in C. tritonia but is noticeably fine; a more narrow black margin without widening at the veins, as is characteristic for C. tritonia, is among significant differences. On the fore wing underside the pattern is the same as on the upperside, but the black spots are more narrow and two black parallel lines replace the margin. The hind wing underside ground colour varies from muddy-orange to muddy brick-red; the ground-ochre or greyish discoidal band is relatively narrow, 2.2-2.5 mm wide at the vein M1 (in other taxa of the tritonia- group it is not less wide than 2.5 mm), its both sides being bordered with conspicuous black streaks, and locally it is much suffused by dark scales, which entirely hide it at the anal margin. The postdiscoidal area contains a row of seven well- expressed whitish spots. Outside of it there is a row of six black spots and then the area of ochre-red colour 2.0-2.5 mm wide. The black bracket-shaped submarginal spots are distally margined with white spots stretched out across the veins; outside of them there is a double marginal line. In the male genitalia the caudal process of the valva ends with a single large tooth, not with a row of small teeth as in C. astarte and C. tritonia, the costal process is large, foot-shaped (for the figure see Appendix).

MATERIALS: the holotype: a male, Altai, the Kurayskiy mountain range. the settlement Aktash, 2700 m above sea level, a dry scree, 8th July 1990 (E.A. [must be E.M. - O.K.] Matveev leg.). Paratypes: two males one female, the same locality 16th July 1992; 4 males - the Kuraiskiy mountain range, the Yarly-Ayry river headwaters, 3000 m altitude, 7-12th July 1992 (Yu. Prokofyev).

The taxon is named by the surname of Evgenii Aleksandrovich [an error - must be Evgenii Mikhailovich] Matveev, a Moscow naturalist, a butterfly lover, who first collected these butterflies. Although it is not excluded that a butterfly of this very species (identified by A.A. Meingard as C. amphilochus Ménétriés) was caught by V.V. Sapozhnikov on 6th June 1905 in the Tsagan-Kol River headwaters in Mongolia."

Ts.: Papilio pales [Denis et Schiffermuller], 1775.

F.w.l.: 15-21 mm. The fore wing is pointed apically. The hind wing underside ground colour varies from ochre to brick-red; the central band consists of angular ochre or darker spots; its part within the cell is silver; the spots at the outer margin are also silver. Species have rather a similar appearance accompanied with a great individual variation. Identification is difficult without examining the male genitalia and taking into account the locality where an individual has been taken from.

A Holarctic genus with about 10 species. If to follow the species attribution according to the classical work by B. Warren (1944) the butterflies from the Asian Russia should be regarded within either of two complex "species", namely, Boloria napaea and B. pales, which we consider as species groups (superspecies).

On the hind wing underside the discal band is as a rule ochre- coloured, weakly suffused with red scales. The wing upperside ground colour in females is as a rule much darker than in males, in some cases to entire elimination of fulvous tint in B. alaskensis. In the male genitalia the length of the dentate part of the outer edge of the apical part of the harpe is not less than a half of the total harpe length (Table...).

These butterflies keep to meadow and tundrous biotopes of the alpine zone of mountains and the northern tundra zone.

TYPE LOCALITY: West Altai: the Kurchumskiy mountain range: Kara-Baga.

RANGE: The mountains of South Siberia from Altai to Kentei, the mountains of East Siberia (the Cherskogo and Verkhoyanskiy mountain ranges).

HABITAT: in Altai: meadows in highlands and in the upper part of the forest belt, meadow and dwarf-birch montane tundras at elevations of 1600-2900 m above sea level. The imagines feed on the flowers of Sajania monstrosa, Polygonum bistorta, P. viviparum, P. nitens, Solidago davurica, Senecio turczaninovi, Scorzonera radiata, Allium lineare etc.

FLIGHT PERIOD: prolonged, late June/late August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: Probable foodplant: Polygonum bistorta.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 18-23 mm. The wing upperside ground colour in females is darker than in males but always reddish. The hind wing underside usually is ochre-coloured, including a little contrasted central band.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: Ssp. altaica ranges in Altai, the Sayans, the mountains of Tuva. From montane tundras of the Verkhoyanskiy mountain range (the Kokchin river) the subspecies vinokurovi Dubatolov, 1992, has been described. A subspecies from the elevation of Gornaya Shoria (the Kemerovo Region) is described below.

Original description:

"By the materials from Gornaya Shoria [elevation] the subspecies Boloria altaica pustagi Korshunov et Ivonin, sbsp.n. is being described, differing from altaica first of all by a darker (brick-red) ground colour.

HOLOTYPE: a male. F.w.l. 21 mm. The wing upperside is brick- red with the black pattern enlarged, as compared with the subspecies altaica. The black spots along the outer margin are not fused into a streak. On the hind wing underside the discal band is bright, well contrasted to the ground brick-red background; the black round spots in the postdiscal area are contrasted, some of them contain white nucleoli.

In females the upperside is lighter, yellowish, the underside is bright, as in males.

MATERIAL: The holotype: a male - 13.07.1992, Gornaya Shoria, the environs of the settlement Sheregesh, the mountain Pustag, 1000-1300 m (V. Ivonin). Paratypes: 7 males, 3 females - 13.07.1992, the same locality."

TYPE LOCALITY: Altai (the Chuya River) and Mongolia (the Arsayn-Gol mountain range ["Arasan"]).

RANGE: West, Central and South-East Altai, the Sayans, the mountains of Tuva and the western half of Mongolia. A local species.

HABITAT: alpine meadows, dwarf birch and detritus tundras at altitudes within 2300-2900 m. The imagines are usually found among those of B. (napaea) altaica but are much less frequent.

FLIGHT PERIOD: July/middle August.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 15-18 mm. The hind wing underside ground colour is dark-reddish-brown, with a purple tint; the central band is ochre-coloured.

SYSTEMATICAL NOTE: The taxon was described as a form of B. altaica and later was raised by W. Forster (1968) to a species, that is now doubtless.

TYPE LOCALITY: Alaska.

RANGE: The polar regions of Eurasia and the western North America; the mountains of North Ural, Central and East Siberia, Kamchatka, the mountains of Bureya, Lower Priamurye. Details of distribution in the southern East Siberia and Far East are not studied.

HABITAT: lowland and montane tundras of various types, meadows in river valleys. In the Yamal Peninsula the imagines congregate on rich in herbs meadow patches at river valleys or ravines (Korshunov et al. 1985) and actively visit the flowers of Pedicularis, Hieracium, Crepis nigrescens, Polygonum, Veronica.

FLIGHT PERIOD: July/early August.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Lapland (Henricksen, Kreutzer, 1982). Foodplants: Polygonum bistorta, Viola biflora is known. Eggs: golden-orange, conical, with a rounded top and 10 lengthwise ribs. Larva: brown-grey with a double yellow line along the back and black spots laterally of it at the fore margin of each segment. The spines are pinkish-coloured. In the extreme North and high altitudes the larva hibernates twice. According to observations by A.G. Tatarinov on the Polar Ural, the larvae do not accept food before hibernation which occurs in the first instar. Pupa: yellowish-brown with darker margins of the wing cases; yellow back and light spots on the sides, sometimes much darkened.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 16-22 mm. The wings are more short and angular in shape than in B. altaica. The wing upperside in females is sometimes without traces of red colour. The hind wing underside ground colour is brick-red; the discoidal band is ochre-coloured and contrasted to the background.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: insufficiently studied. Ssp. sedykhi Crosson du Cormier, 1977; has been described from Polare Ural; ssp. nikolaewsky Heydemann, 1920 - from the lower Amur (and the middle Lena?). A detailed investigation is necessary of the peculiar butterflies from NE Siberia.

On hind wing underside the discal band can be strongly suffused with reddish scales. Sexual dimorphism is usually weak; the wings of males and females are of the same ochre-orange or ochre-red ground colour. In the male genitalia the length of the dentate part of the outer edge of the apical part of the harpe is less than a half of the total harpe length.

The butterflies tend to raised bogs, marshy valleys, open forests, damp forest meadows. Relationships between the two following taxa are studied insufficiently. We formally draw the border between them by the Yenisei River. An opinion exists that B. banghaasi is only a subspecies of B. aquilonaris.

TYPE LOCALITY: Lapland.

RANGE: Europe (except for the South), Ural, West Siberia, ? North Altai. This species is very local in its southern range.

HABITAT: raised and transitory bogs (including "ryams" of the forest-steppe zone), open peat-moss pine woods. In the ryams of the Barabinskaya Forest-Steppe the butterflies were observed to feed on the flowers of Comarum palustre, Chamenerium angustifolium, Scutellaria galericulata (Korshunov, 1974).

FLIGHT PERIOD: late June/late July.

PREIMAGINAL PHASES: studied in Scandinavia (Henricksen, Kreutzer, 1982). Foodplant: Oxycoccus quadripetalus, O. palustris, in Sweden were also reported Vaccinium, Viola, for Central Europe Polygonum. Eggs: conical with lengthwise ribs and an apical dimple, greenish; laid singly on foodplant stems and leaves. In Scandinavia the larvae hibernate in the moss usually in the third instar, in Polar Ural, according to observations by A.G. Tatarinov, in the first instar. Young larva: brown with black head, set with black warts bearing black hairs. Mature larva: dark-brown with a double yellowish streak along the back, indistinct lateral stripes of the same colour and small whitish-yellow spots on the sides; small yellow branched spines emerge from the orange warts. Pupa: obtuse, brown sometimes with sparse pale spots on the back; abdomen with dark brown transversal spots; the wing cases with dark streaks and light margin.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 15-20 mm. The hind wing underside ground colour is brick-red or ochre-brown; the ochre- coloured central band is strongly suffused with red scales and so is not contrasted to the ground colour.

TYPE LOCALITY: Mongolia: Kentei.

RANGE: The mountains of South and East Siberia and the northern Far East, Mongolia. A local species.

HABITAT: meadow patches at the tree-line, rarely in the forest belt on crowberry or bog bilberry heaths and bogged up dwarf birch or bush alder thickets; in SW Kamchatca - the coastal peat-moss/cranberry bogs. The imagines were observed to feed on Comarum palustre, Pentaphilloides fruticosa, Senecio tundricola, Tanacetum vulgare (V. Ivonin, O. Kosterin).

FLIGHT PERIOD: July/August.

PECULIAR TRAITS OF IMAGO: F.w.l.: 16-20 mm. The hind wing underside ground colour is brick-red or ochre-brown; the ochre-coloured central band is scarcely suffused with red scales, as different from B. acquilonaris.

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION: On the Sakhallin the subspecies neopales Nakahara, 1922 is known. To this taxon we attribute, yet conventionally, the butterflies collected in Central Altai on the Katunskiy (the headwaters of the Katun', Belaya Berel' and Yazovaya Rivers, on damp valley meadows with Pentaphylloides fruticosa bushes at 1500-1800 m above sea level) and Chikhacheva (the Yustyd river) mountain ranges They seem to belong to a distinct subspecies or even species.

ETYMOLOGY: Andreas Bang-Haas (1846-1925) and his son Otto (1882-1948) - well known German lepidopterologists.