Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 14.iv.2024

Potentially present (PP)
Melitaea arduinna / Freyer's Fritillary
Freyerina
Nymphalidae - Nymphalinae

Melitaea arduinna (Esper, [1783]). TL: European Turkey.

1a. Melitaea arduinna, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Melitaea arduinna ♂ underside. Romania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Melitaea arduinna copula. SRB (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Melitaea arduinna ♂ lateral. Romania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1e. Melitaea arduinna ♀ upperside. Romania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)

Note
The species has never been mentioned from Albania but is known from nearby on Galičica Mt (Krpač et al. 2011) in NMK and from Greek localities above Lake Prespa (Pamperis 2009, Pamperis 2022).
The species is single brooded and on the wing from end May to early July. In the southernmost European biotopes Melitaea arduinna inhabits dry, extensively used pastures with different Centaurea species, often C. graeca, and in northern Balkan it also flies in mesophilous meadows, sheltered woodland clearings, gorges and gullies.
Biotopes west of Lake Prespa and Lake Ohrid, nearby known localities in GR and MAC, are to be explored during the flight period of M. arduinna but not only as different Centaurea species are described from northern Albania.

Description
♂♂
Medium size butterfly. Fw: 21-23 mm.
Ups: bright fulvous gc.
Unh: triangular marginal and almost touching spots, larger black spots in orange marginal band, convex black proximal lunules in orange marginal band.
♀♀
Slightly larger.
Ups: heavier black markings.

Similar species

Melitaea cinxia Size:slightly smaller or similar. ♂♂ Upf: dull fulvous gc. Uph: linear discal pattern, dull fulvous gc. Uph: large black markings. Uph: small black sm spots. Unh: only inwardly concave black lunules. Unh: small black sm spots. ♀♀ Upf: heavier markings, often grey suffused gc. Uph: monochrome, often grey suffused gc. Unh: only inwardly concave black lunules. Unh: small black sm spots.

Life cycle
Adults: single generation from mid-May to mid-July depending on altitude.
Egg: probably short stage.
Caterpillar: overwintering.
Pupa: probably short stage.

Habitat
Melitaea arduinna inhabits flowering grasslands with abundant Centaurea sp. from 750 up to 1500 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirment modest, population density can be high.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on Centaurea affinis and C. phrygia.
Butterflies feed on a large variety of flowers.

Distribution
Albania: not recorded.
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
Europe: IB - IT - ALP - BAL - NWE - UK - SCA - EEU
Asia Minor, Near East, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.

Conservation status
Melitaea arduinna is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: NA.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.

Useful links
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps

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