Zegris eupheme

The sooty orange tip (''Zegris eupheme'') is a Palearctic Pieridae butterfly that has a range that extends through southern Europe, southwest Europe, northern Africa, East Kazakhstan and Asia Minor. Global warming currently seems to be extending its range to the north. The habitat consists of open flowery grasslands amongst hills.

The wingspan is . Adults are on wing from mid-March to mid-June in one generation per year.

The larvae feed on '' Sinapis incana'', '' Raphanus'', '' Sisymbrium polymorphum'' and '' Camelina laxa''.

In Morocco, the species is particularly associated with woad ('' Isatis tinctoria''), and is found at mid and high elevations in the Middle and High Atlas Mountains. Larvae are often found on the same individual host plant as caterpillars of ''Euchloe'', '' Pieris rapae'' and ''Pieris brassicae''. Compared to these other pierines, ''Z. eupheme'' is associated with very stable environments.

Description in Seitz

''Zegris eupheme'' from south-eastern Russia, Armenia and the Alatau, is above white with dark apex to the forewing, bearing an orange-red spot, the black median spot of the forewing being halfmoon shaped. The orange spot is usually smaller in the female, being sometimes absent. The underside white, the forewing having a yellow apex and a black median spot, the hindwing being greenish yellow, with white spots. Specimens in which these spots are prevalent belong to ab. ''tschudica'' H.-Sch. ynonym of ''Z. e. erothoe''— ''menestho'' Mén. from Asia Minor and Western Kurdistan has the underside of the hindwing more yellow, being also somewhat larger. — ''meridionalis'' Led. 'stat. nov.'' ''Zegris meridionalis meridionalis'' Lederer, 1852from central and southern Spain, is still larger, the almost uniformly yellow underside of the hindwing having grey-greenish markings. Larva thick, cylindrical, densely hairy. Pupa stout, with in a dense cocoon, in which one finds, however, still a remnant of the thread characteristic for pupae of Pierids.Julius Röber Pieridae, pp. 39-74, 374, pls. 17-27. In: Seitz, A. (ed.), 1909 ''Die Groß-Schmetterlinge der Erde''. 1. Band. Die palaearctischen Tagfalter. – Stuttgart, Fritz Lehmann.

Subspecies

* ''Z. e. eupheme'' Esper, 1804 (Southern Russia)
* ''Z. e. dyala'' Peile, 1921 (Iran)
* ''Z. e. tigris'' Riley, 1921 (Iran)
* ''Z. e. maroccana'' Bernardi, 1950 (Morocco, Spain) = ''Zegris meridionalis marocana'' Bernardi, 1950 '' comb. nov.'' by Back 2012: 80.
* ''Z. e. larseni'' Pittaway, 1986 (Saudi Arabia)Afrotropical Butterflies: File D – Pieridae - Tribe Anthocharidini
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* ''Z. e. menestho'' (Ménétriés, 1832) Asia Minor and Western Kurdistan
* ''Z. e. uarda'' Hemming, 1929
* ''Z. e. sulphurea'' O. Bang-Haas, 1927
* ''Z. e. harandi'' Back, Karbalaye, Leestmans & Hofmann, 2005
* ''Z. e. erothoe'' (Eversmann, 832

Habitat

In Armenia the species inhabits dry grasslands including semi-deserts, and arid steppes, as well as juniper woodlands, and tragacanth steppe areas, which are replacing forest on the eroded slopes. Elevation range occupied by the species is from 400 to 2000 m a.s.l.

References

External links

Russian Insects

Ecology article



{{Taxonbar, from=Q1758293

Butterflies described in 1805
Anthocharini
Butterflies of Europe
Butterflies of Asia
Butterflies of Africa
Taxa named by Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper