Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 15.iv.2024

Melanargia larissa / Balkan Marbled White
Laramanja Larisë
Nymphalidae - Satyrinae

Melanargia larissa (Geyer, [1828]). TL: Cres Isl., Croatia.

1a. Melanargia larissa, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Melanargia larissa ♀ upperside. Palase, Albania (© Lulëzim Shuka)
1c. Melanargia larissa ♂ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Melanargia larissa ♀ underside. Palase, Albania (© Lulëzim Shuka)
1e. Melanargia larissa (left) and Melanargia galathea (right) on Centaurea rupestris subsp. kozanii. Prespe, Albania (© Lulëzim Shuka)
1f. Habitat of Melanargia larissa. Palase, Albania (© Lulëzim Shuka)

Description
♂♂
Large butterfly. Fw: 25-30 mm.
Ups: variable, often heavy, black markings.
Upf: fine line crossing the cell, dark fuscous suffused basal areas covering the cell, preapical ocellus often invisible in the dark markings.
Uph: dark fuscous suffused basal areas often covering the cell, preapical ocellus.
Unh: grey to brownish grey gc, conspicuous ocelli not enclosed in grey fuscous spaces.
♀♀
Larger.
Unf: light yellowish apical area.
Unh: large light yellowish area. Unmarked with whitish gc, forma leucomelas, is rare.

Similar species

Melanargia galathea Size:slightly smaller. Upf: no dark suffused basal areas. Upf: no cross-line in the cell. Uph: no dark suffused basal areas. Unh: broken central band. Unh: poorly marked veins in central band. Melanargia russiae Size:slightly smaller. Upf: no dark suffused basal areas. Upf: cell crossed by zig-zag black bar. Uph: no dark suffused basal areas. Unh: unbroken central band. Unh: black-marked veins in central band.

Life cycle
Adults: single generation from May to mid-August.
Egg: short stage.
Caterpillar: aestivation as young larva, overwintering as small larva.
Pupa: short stage.

Habitat
Melanargia larissa inhabits a variety of dry and rocky grasslands with scattered bushes from 200 up to 1500 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement modest, population density often high.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on Poa annua and P. pratensis.
Butterflies feed on a large variety of higher flowers.

Distribution
Albania: widespread in southern Albania, local in northern Albania.
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
Europe: IB - IT - ALP - BAL - NWE - UK - SCA - EEU
Asia Minor, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.

Conservation status
Melanargia larissa is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: NE.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.

Useful links
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps

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