Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 05.viii.2023

Coenonympha rhodopensis / Eastern Large Heath
Rodopensis
Nymphalidae - Satyrinae

Coenonympha rhodopensis Elwes, 1900. TL: Rila Mts, Bulgaria.

1a. Coenonympha rhodopensis, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Coenonympha rhodopensis ♂ underside. Bulgaria (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Coenonympha rhodopensis copula. Qafe Buni i Thorës, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Coenonympha rhodopensis ♂ underside. Mali i Gramozit, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1e. Coenonympha rhodopensis ♂ upperside, caught by a spider. Vermosh, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1f. Coenonympha rhodopensis ♂ underside. Vermosh, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1g. Habitat of Coenonympha rhodopensis. Vermosh, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)

Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 16-19 mm.
Ups: orange buff gc, larger grey wing borders, often small black basal suffusion. No apical ocellus, can show through from unf.
Uph: sometimes slightly darker, sometimes ocelli in s2 and s3.
Unf: orange-yellow gc, white pupiled and yellow-ringed, black apical ocellus, greyish brown apex.
Unh: grey-brownish gc, white discal spot far from costa in s4-s5, submarginal ocelli often well developed.
♀♀
Slightly larger.
Ups: paler gc.
Upf: clear orange-yellow, no black basal suffusion.
Uph: visible pale discal mark.

Similar species

Coenonympha pamphilus Size:slightly smaller. Upf: narrow distinct grey borders. Upf: apical ocellus. Uph: no ocelli. Unh: obscure small white ocelli (can be lacking) Unh: grey basal area (spring form) Unh: pale yellowish band (summer form) Unh: no metallic antemarginal line. Coenonympha leander Upf: diffuse darker border. Uph: conspicuous orange area. Uph: black ocelli, sometimes inconspicuous. Unh: ocelli touching the large orange marginal band. Unh: metallic antemarginal line. Unh: prominent orange band. Coenonympha glycerion P (never recorded from Albania) Upf: large dark brown suffusion. Uph: small orange marginal band. Uph: ♂♂ no ocelli. Uph: ♀♀ vague ocelli. Unh: yellow ringed, white-pupiled ocelli. Unh: orange antemarginal line.

Coenonympha pamphilus
Slightly smaller butterfly.
Ups: bright yellow orange gc, small and well defined grey wing borders.
Unh: paler spot (sometimes vague or absent) touching costa, dark base with contrasted paler postdiscal area, obscure small white ocelli (sometimes lacking)

Life cycle
Adults: single generation from June to August.
Egg: short stage.
Caterpillar: overwintering.
Pupa: short stage.

Habitat
Coenonympha rhodopensis inhabits flowery mountain grasslands from 900 up to 2500 m a.sl.l.
Spatial requirement modest, population density often high.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on Festuca sp. and Sesleria sp.
Butterflies feed on a large variety of flowers in the alpine herb vegetation.

Distribution
Albania: widespread in the mountains.
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO* - SLO - SRB
Europe: IB - IT* - ALP* - BAL - NWE - UK - SCA - EEU*
Not at all present in Asia Minor, Near East, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.

Conservation status
Coenonympha rhodopensis 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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