Marigold Volga

The taxon volgensis was originally described as a “race” of Hipparchia semele from the Lower Volga region by G. A. Mazokhin-Porshnyakov, who pointed to such differences from the cotys taxa (which is now interpreted as Hipparchia pellucida pellucida ) and semele: medium-thick uncus and subuncus, medium in size and “intermediate” in the configuration of the valva, the pointed base and narrow top of the androkonial scales, the absence of a reddish tint and the black and white contrast of the background of the lower side of the hind wing, the darker top of the wings, the contrasting brown-orange pattern of the upper th side of the female’s wings. The initial description emphasizes the “intermediate” (between Hipparchia pellucida pellucida and Hipparchia semele ) morphological characteristics of the status of the taxon volgensis .

Based on a number of differences, volgensis taxon is now given the status of a species. However, a number of researchers, on the basis that comparative morphological studies do not show a clearly fixed correlation between these characters, and sometimes the absence of sharp differences in the structure of the copulative apparatus, consider a taxon in the status of a subspecies of Hipparchia pellucida volgensis .

volgensis (toponymic) - Volga.

The length of the front wing is 22-25 mm. The upper side of the wings is dark brown in color with a reduced band on the front wing, which is represented by scattered yellow spots, in males with a large oblique androconial field . In females, spots and band are widened. On the hind wing are orange marginal spots, bounded from the inside by yellow spraying.

On the territory of Eastern Europe, lives in Southeastern Romania, as well as in the steppe and forest-steppe of southeastern Ukraine and southern European Russia. It extends to the east to the Lower Volga, where it is found from the middle part. The Volga Valley from Volgograd to Astrakhan . Volgograd region , Rostov region , Astrakhan region . In the Voronezh region inhabits the left bank of the Don River in the vicinity of the Upper Mamon.

It occurs locally on the fringes of pine forests on sandy soil, on the glades and fringes of floodplain, baira and upland forests, in pine forest belts, light, sparse, slightly shrubby poplar or baire oak forests, often in river floodplains, forests in beams. Butterflies are photophilous, keep well-lit areas of the forest. In the south-east of Ukraine inhabits the rocky steppe slopes of river canyons.

For a year it develops in one generation. Flight is observed from late May to early October. Butterflies feed on the nectar of various Lamiaceae : sage ( Salvia sp .), Thyme ( Thymus sp .).

The female lays eggs individually on dry leaves and stalks of cereals. The stage of the egg lasts 8-10 days. Caterpillars pass in their development of 5 ages. Caterpillars of the last fifth reach a length of 33-37 mm. They feed mainly at night on Argopiron repens , short-legged , bonfire, fescue , Deschampsia cespitosa , possibly on other cereals. Pellet in an earthen cradle in a light cocoon or openly on the ground. The pupal stage lasts 16-19 days.

It is included in the Red Book of the Voronezh Region (Category 2 - a declining species.) And in the Red Book of the Saratov Region .

• Butterflies of the Caucasus - Hipparchia volgensis - Marigold Volga

• Lvovsky A.L., Morgun D.V. - Lepidoptera Lepidoptera of Eastern Europe (Keys to the Flora and Fauna of Russia), Moscow: KMK, 2007