Melanargia

Melanargia is a genus of butterflies belonging to the family Nymphalidae and the subfamily Satyrinae (formerly family Satyridae).

Melanargia
Melanargia galathea, dorsal view
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Satyrinae
Tribe: Satyrini
Subtribe: Melanargiina
Wheeler, 1903
Genus: Melanargia
Meigen, 1828
Synonyms
  • Agapetes Billberg, 1820
  • Arge Hübner, 1819
  • Ledargia Houlbert, 1922
  • Epimede Houlbert, 1922
  • Parce Oberthür & Houlbert, 1922
  • Halimede Oberthür et Houlbert, 1922
  • Lachesis Oberthür & Houlbert, 1922
Melanargia galathea, lateral view

This genus, described by Johann Wilhelm Meigen in 1828, is the only genus in the subtribe Melanargiina, Wheeler, 1903.

The adults of this genus of satyrines are easily distinguished by their white wings with black veins and markings (hence the common name "marbled whites"). A peculiar phenotypic distinctiveness is also a dilated vein 12 at the base of the forewing.

Butterflies of genus Melanargia are widespread from Europe and north Africa to Japan.

Species and subspecies

The investigations on genetic divergence and phylogenetic relationships among Melanargia species have recognized three subgenera (Melanargia, Argeformia, and Halimede) and reclassified the genus in 20 species and relevant subspecies as follows

Subgenus Melanargia Meigen, 1829

  • Melanargia galathea (Linnaeus, 1758) - marbled white
    • Melanargia galathea ssp. galathea (Linnaeus, 1758) (Europe)
    • Melanargia galathea ssp. satnia Fruhstorfer, 1917 (Caucasus)
    • Melanargia galathea ssp. magdalenae Reichl, 1975
    • Melanargia galathea ssp. syracusana Zeller, 1847
  • Melanargia lucasi (Rambur, 1858) (northern Africa)
    • Melanargia lucasi ssp. lucasi (Rambur, 1858)
    • Melanargia lucasi ssp. meadwaldoi Rothschild, 1917
  • Melanargia lachesis (Hübner, 1790) - Iberian marbled white
  • Melanargia evartianae Wagener, 1976 (northern Iran)
    • Melanargia evartianae ssp. evartianae Wagener, 1976
    • Melanargia evartianae ssp. sadjadii Carbonell & Naderi, 2006
  • Melanargia teneates (Ménétriés, 1832) (northern Iran)
    • Melanargia teneates ssp. teneates (Ménétriés, 1832)
    • Melanargia teneates ssp. meda (Grum-Grshimailo, 1895)
  • Melanargia larissa (Geyer, 1828) - Balkan marbled white
    • Melanargia larissa ssp. larissa (Geyer, 1828)
    • Melanargia larissa ssp. hylata (Ménétriés, 1832) (Turkey and Iran)
    • Melanargia larissa ssp. grumi Standfuss, 1892
    • Melanargia larissa ssp. lorestanensis Carbonell & Naderi, 2007
    • Melanargia larissa ssp. iranica Seitz, 1907
    • Melanargia larissa ssp. taurica (Rober, 1896)
    • Melanargia larissa ssp. massageta Staudinger, 1901
    • Melanargia larissa ssp. karabagi Koçak, 1976
    • Melanargia larissa ssp. kocaki Wagener, 1983
    • Melanargia larissa ssp. syriaca (Oberthür, 1894)
    • Melanargia larissa ssp. titea (Klug, 1832) (= titania Calberla, 1891, = standfussi Wagener, 1983)
  • Melanargia wiskotii Rober, 1896
  • Melanargia russiae (Esper, 1783) - Esper's marbled white (southern Europe to central Asia)
    • Melanargia russiae ssp. russiae (Esper, 1793)
    • Melanargia russiae ssp. cleanthe (Boisduval, 1833)
    • Melanargia russiae ssp. japygia (Cyrillo, 1787)
  • Melanargia transcaspica (Staudinger, 1901)
    • Melanargia transcaspica ssp. transcaspica (Staudinger, 1901)
    • Melanargia transcaspica ssp. eberti Wagener, 1975
  • Melanargia parce Staudinger, 1882
  • Melanargia lucida (Staudinger, 1886)

Subgenus Argeformia Verity, 1953

  • Melanargia occitanica (Esper, 1793) - western marbled white (south-west of Europe, northern Africa and Sicily)
    • Melanargia occitanica ssp. occitanica (Esper, 1793)
    • Melanargia occitanica ssp. pelagia (Oberthur, 1911)
    • Melanargia occitanica ssp. pherusa (Boisduval, 1832)
  • Melanargia ines (Hoffmannsegg, 1804) - Spanish marbled white (Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya)
    • Melanargia ines ssp. ines (Hoffmannsegg, 1804)
    • Melanargia ines ssp. fathme Wagner, 1913
    • Melanargia ines ssp. jahandiezi Oberthür, 1922
  • Melanargia arge (Sulzer, 1776) - Italian marbled white (Italy)

Subgenus Halimede (Oberthür & Houlbert, 1922)

  • Melanargia leda Leech, 1891 (Tibet and western China)
    • Melanargia leda ssp. leda (Leech, 1891) (=yunnana Oberthür, 1891)
    • Melanargia leda ssp. melli Wagener, 1961
  • Melanargia halimede (Ménétriés, 1858) (eastern Mongolia, north-east of China and Korea)
    • Melanargia halimede ssp. halimede (Ménétriés, 1858) (=gratiani Wagener, 1961)
    • Melanargia halimede ssp. coreana Okamoto, 1926
  • Melanargia meridionalis Felder, 1862 (central and western China)
    • Melanargia meridionalis ssp. meridionalis (C. & R. Felder, 1862)
    • Melanargia meridionalis ssp. tapaishanensis Wagener, 1961
  • Melanargia lugens Honrath, 1888 (central China)
    • Melanargia lugens ssp. lugens (Honrath, 1888) (= ahyoui Wagener, 1961)
    • Melanargia lugens ssp. hengshanensis Wagener, 1961 (= hoenei Wagener, 1961)
    • Melanargia lugens ssp. montana (Leech, 1890)
  • Melanargia epimede Staudinger, 1892 (eastern Mongolia, north-east of China and Korea)
    • Melanargia epimede ssp. epimede (Staudinger, 1887)
    • Melanargia epimede ssp. pseudolugens (Staudinger, 1887)
    • Melanargia epimede ssp. ganymedes Heyne, 1895 (Tibet)
  • Melanargia asiatica (Oberthür & Houlbert, 1922) (= dejeani Wagener, 1961, = elisa Wagener, 1961, = sigberti Bozano, 2004) (China)
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References
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