LEPIDOPTERA
H E S P E R I I D A E Latreille, 1809
CARCHARODUS Hubner, 1819
Carcharodus lavatherae (Esper, [1783])
Carcharodus lavatherae (Esper, [1783])
• TYPE LOCALITY. "Frankreich, Schweiz" [France and Switzerland].
• RANGE. S. Europe, N. Africa, Asia Minor to Iran.
• DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. The S. European part and the Caucasus (including Transcaucasia). Variation relatively minor within most of the range; the ssp. tauricus Reverdin, 1915 has been described from the adjacent territories of Asia Minor.
• HABITATS AND BIOLOGY. Open dry places in plains and mountains, more often on limestone. Flight period: June-July; in the south, two generations may occur. Host plant in Europe (Forster, Wohlfahrt, 1955): Stachys recta.
• SIMILAR SPECIES. C. alceae: darker brown, FW hyaline spots narrow. Other Carcharodus species: darker, with a dense hair tuft at base of male UNF.
Photo and text: Guide to the BUTTERFLIES OF RUSSIA and adjacent territories Volume 1. PENSOFT, Sofia - Moscow. 1997