New butterfly for Lesvos - Aegean Fritillary

Aegean Fritillary Melitaea telona, Kavaki, Lesvos, April 2002

© Steve Dudley

Lazaros Pamperis, author of The Butterflies of Greece, has informed me that on the basis of my photo above, Melitaea telona is confirmed for Lesvos and can be added to the Lesvos butterfly list (Russell & Pamperis in prep). This is also the first record for the eastern Aegean islands. Only one other eastern Aegean record so far, from Chios in June 2008.

Melitaea telona is a recent split from Melitaea phoebe (Knapweed Fritillary) (Russell et al 2005, Russell et al 2007). Lazaros has told me 'the main and sure distribution in Greece is the Peloponnesos (and some small Islands near the east coast), some localities in continental Greece, Chios and Lesvos; it is also found in Italy, Hungary and Israel. The situation in Turkey is not clear yet". Lazaros has also suggested that all previous records of M phoebe in the region should be re-checked in order to positively check whether they are M phoebe or M telona.

It is named in French as Melitee Egeenne (Melitaea of the Aegean Sea = Fritillary of the Aegean Sea) from which the English name is derived, Aegean Fritillary.

• Russell, P., Tennent, W.J., Pateman, J., Varga, Z., Benyamini, D., Pe’er, G., Bálint, Z. & Gascoigne-Pees, M. (2007) Further investigations into Melitaea telona Frushstorfer, 1908 (=ogygia Frushstorfer, 1908 =emipunica Verity, 1919) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), with observations on biology and distribution. Entomologist's Gazette, 58, 137-166.
• Russell, P., J., P., Gascoigne-Pees, M. & Tennent, W.J. (2005) Melitaea emipunia (Verity, 1919) stat. nov: a hitherto unrecognised butterfly species from Europe (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Entomologist's Gazette, 56, 67-70.

Species lists (birds, dragonflies, etc)

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Butterflies of Lesvos

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Southern Comma Polygomum egea | Molivos, Lesvos | May 2007

© Steve Dudley

I've worked with Lazaros Pamperis (author of The Butterflies of Greece) and together we have drawn up the following lit of species for Lesvos -

Scarce Swallowtail Iphiclides podalirius (Linnaeus, 1758)

Swallowtail Papilio machaon Linnaeus, 1758

Southern Swallowtail Papilio alexanor Esper, 1800

Eastern Festoon Allancastria cerisy (Godart, 1824)

Falso Apollo Archon apollinus (Herbst, 1798)

Black-veined White Aporia crataegi (Linnaeus, 1758)

Large White Pieris brassicae (Linnaeus, 1758)

Small White Pieris rapae (Linnaeus, 1758)

Green-veined White Pieris napi (Linnaeus, 1758)

Balkan Green-veined White Pieris balcana Lorković, 1970

Krueper's Small White Pieris krueperi Staudinger, 1860

Eastern Bath White Pontia edusa (Fabricius, 1777)

Eastern Dappled White Euchloe ausonia (Hübner, 1806)

Orange Tip Anthocharis cardamines (Linnaeus, 1758)

Clouded Yellow Colias crocea (Fourcroy, 1785)

Powdered Brimstone Gonepteryx farinosa ( Zeller, 1847)

Cleopatra Gonepteryx cleopatra (Linnaeus, 1767)

Wood White Leptidea sinapis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Plain Tiger Danaus chrysippus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Nettle-tree Butterfly Libythea celtis (Laicharting, 1782)

Purple Hairstreak Neozephyrus quercus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Sloe Hairstreak Satyrium acaciae (Fabricius, 1787)

Ilex Hairstreak Satyrium ilicis (Esper, 1779)

Blue-spot Hairstreak Satyrium spini (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)

Green Hairstreak Callophrys rubi (Linnaeus, 1758)

Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas (Linnaeus, 1761)

Purple-shot Copper Lycaena alciphron (Rottemburg, 1775)

Long-tailed Blue Lampides boeticus (Linnaeus, 1767)

Lang's Short-tailed Blue Leptodes pirithous (Linnaeus, 1767)

Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Green-underside Blue Glaucopsyche alexis (Poda, 1761)

Eastern Baton Blue Pseudophilotes vicrama (Moore, 1865)

Brown Argus Aricia agestis (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)

Amanda's Blue Polyommatus amanda (Schneider, 1792)

Common Blue Polyommatus icarus (Rottemburg, 1775)

Two-tailed Pasha Charaxes jasius (Linnaeus, 1767)

Southern White Admiral Limenitis reducta Staudinger, 1901

Large Tortoiseshell Nymphalis polychloros (Linnaeus, 1758)

Camberwell Beauty Nymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Linnaeus, 1758)

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus, 1758)

Comma Polygonia c-album (Linnaeus, 1758)

Southern Comma Polygonia egea (Cramer, 1775)

Cardinal Argynnis pandora (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)

Silver-washed Fritillary Argynnis paphia (Linnaeus, 1758)

Queen of Spain Fritillary Issoria lathonia (Linnaeus, 1758)

Knapweed Fritillary Melitaea phoebe (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)

Aegean Fritillary* Melitaea telona Fruhstorfer, 1908

Spotted Fritillary Melitaea didyma (Esper, 1778)

Lesser Spotted Fritillary Melitaea trivia (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)

Balkan Marbled White Melanargia larissa (Geyer, 1828)

Eastern Rock Grayling Hipparchia syriaca (Staudinger, 1871)

Grecian (Southern) Grayling* Hipparchia senthes (Frühstorfer, 1908)

Aegean Grayling Hipparchia mersina (Staudinger, 1871)

Persian Grayling Hipparchia pellucida (Stauder, 1923)

Freyer's Grayling Hipparchia fatua (Freyer, 1844)

White-banded Grayling Pseudochazara anthelea (Hübner, 1824)

Great Banded Grayling Brintesia circe (Fabricius, 1775)

Persian Meadow Brown* Maniola telmessia (Zeller, 1847)

Turkish Meadow Brown* Maniola megala (Oberthür, 1909)

Oriental Meadow Brown Hyponephele lupina (O. Costa, 1836)

Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus (Linnaeus, 1771)

Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria (Linnaeus, 1758)

Wall Brown Lasiommata megera (Linnaeus, 1758)

Large Wall Brown Lasiommata maera (Linnaeus, 1758)

Lattice Brown Kirinia roxelana (Cramer, 1777)

Grizzled Skipper Pyrgus malvae (Linnaeus, 1758)

Orbed Red-underwing Skipper Spialia orbifer (Hübner, 1823)

Mallow Skipper Carcharodus alceae (Esper, 1780)

Oriental Marbled Skipper Carcharodus orientalis (Reverdin, 1913)

Inky Skipper Erynnis marloyi (Boisduval, 1834)

Lulworth Skipper Thymelicus acteon (Rottemburg, 1775)

Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris (Poda, 1761)

Levantine Skipper Thymelicus hyrax (Lederer, 1861)

Mediterranean Skipper Gegenes nostrodamus (Fabricius, 1793)

Millet Skipper Pelopidas thrax (Hübner, 1821)

* No popular English name so I have given them an English name based on either existing other language name (e.g. Aegean Fritillary taken from the French name) or distribution.

The following species have been reported from Lesvos but remain unconfirmed. If you have any image of any of these species please send to Lesvos Birding.

Southern Festoon Zerynthia polyxena (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)

Southern Small White Pieris mannii (Mayer, 1851)

Small Bath White Pontia chloridice (Hübner, 1813)

Berger's Clouded Yellow Colias alfacariensis Ribbe, 1905

Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni

Scarce Copper Lycaena virgaureae (Linnaeus, 1758)

Grecian Copper Lycaena ottomanus (Lefèbvre, 1830)

Sooty Copper Lycaena tityrus (Poda, 1761)

Lesser Fiery Copper Lycaena thersamon (Esper, 1784)

Little Blue Cupido minimus (Fuessly, 1775)

Osirus Blue Cupido osiris (Meigen, 1829)

Iolas Blue Iolana iolas (Ochsenheimer, 1816)

Ripart's Anomalous Blue Polyommatus ripartii (Freyer, 1830)

Meleager's Blue Polyommatus daphnis (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)

Chapman's Blue Polyommatus thersites (Cantener, 1835)

Peacock Inachis io (Linnaeus, 1758)

Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae (Linnaeus, 1758)

Niobe Fritillary Argynnis niobe (Linnaeus, 1758)

Marbled White Melanargia galathea (Linnaeus, 1758)

Woodland Grayling Hipparchia fagi (Scopoli, 1763)

Tree Grayling Hipparchia statilinus (Hufnagel, 1766)

Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina (Linnaeus, 1758)

Dusky Meadow Brown Hyponephele lycaon (Rottemburg, 1775)

Oburther's Grizled Skipper Pyrgus armoricanus (Oberthür, 1910)

Olive Skipper Pyrgus serratulae (Rambur, 1839)

False Marbled Skipper Carcharodus stauderi Reverdin, 1913

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Ochsenheimer, 1808)

Recommended European butterfly ID website

European Butterflies

Another excellent site is Carlo Galliani's European butterfly gallery

See also Mick Sway's Lesvos butterflies & insects flickr sharing site.

Please send records of less common species to Lesvos Birding.

If you have any photos online for me to link to, please let me know.

Last updated 26 March 2011

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