Butterflies of
temperate Asia
Sibina Fritillary
Melitaea sibina
ALPHÉRAKY, 1881
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
NYMPHALINAE
Tribe - MELITAEINI
subtribe -
EUPHAEDRYINA
Melitaea sibina, 2920m, Vanj
mountains, Tajikistan
© J-F. Charmeux
Introduction
The genus
Melitaea comprises of about 70 small-medium sized
butterflies - species which are only very distantly related the the larger
Fritillaries such as Argynnis and
Argyreus, which are members of the subfamily
Heliconiinae.
Melitaea are
distributed widely across the Palaearctic region with representatives found from
Portugal and Spain to Tibet, Siberia, China and Japan. There are 8 European
species, of which 4 extend their range into north Africa. A single species
abyssinica is found in Ethiopia, but the genus is
not represented south of the Sahara. The remaining species, i.e. the vast
majority, are inhabitants of the temperate grasslands, woodlands and mountain
valleys of central Asia.
Melitaea sibina is
endemic to the Tien Shan and Vanj mountains at the borders of Tajikistan,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the Xingjian Uyghur region of western China.
Habitats
This is a
high altitude species found on scree slopes and rock-strewn grasslands of the
Tien Shan.
Lifecycle
To be completed.
Adult behaviour
To be completed.
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