Apatura metis Freyer, 1829 - Freyer's Purple Emperor.
This is an example of a so-called amphipalaearctic species, which range
in Europe and Asia Minor and, after a tremendous gap, appear in East Asia. These
disjunctions obviously resulted from a more severe climate in the center
of the continent (with many latitudinal mountains in addition) during
climate coolings, whenewer they occur. This
species in addition inhabits the very valley of the Irtysh River,
in the middle of this gap. All the three range parts are inhabited with
different subspecies. Here the Irtyshian one is photograped.
Range: SE Europe, Turkey, the Irtysh and Ishim River valleys in West Siberia, and, after a tremendous gap, E Transbaikalia, the Russian Far East, NE China, Korea, Japan.
ssp.: irtyshika Korshunov, 1982 - restricted only to the banks of the Irtysh and Ishym Rivers in West Siberia.
A second brood male, wings open.
Wet ground, at willow thickets, on a bank of the Irtysh River
left arm within the 30th Anniversary of Victory Park, Omsk City, West Siberia, Russia. 30th
August 1994. O. Kosterin.