104. D ESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE: FAMILY Meadow Fritillary parthenoides (Keferstein, 1851)

Open wings: DESCRIPTION Wingspan: From 3 to 3.5 cm. Both wings are orange with some dark patterns. The forewing has an oblique spot in the middle of the inner margin. A thin arched line rises at that point and has some long orange spots beneath itself. On the hindwing, there can be seen or not a very vague line that goes across the middle, so the orange spots are stretched.Closed wings: Their design is typical for this genus. Two stripes, separated by a thin dark line, go across the hindwing. The outer one is bone white and the inner one yellowish.

KEY FOR VISUAL IDENTIFICATION

Oblique spot

Thin line

Long orage spots

No line that goes across the middle

Bone white spots Yellowish spots

244 DIURNAL BUTTERFLIESBUTTERFLIES • GR-249G R-249 Great MalagaMal Path Knapweed Fritillary: It is larger and with well-marked checks. Orange spots are not so long. Aetherie Fritillary: It is larger. When its wings are open, the dark spots on females are bigger, above all the one that goes across the middle of the forewing. Provençal Fritillary: When its wings are closed, it is diffi cult to be distinguished from the Meadow Fritillary, but they are pure white, above all, the stripes that go across the middle of the wing. When its wings are open, the main difference between these two species is the spot in the middle of the forewing inner margin, which is not oblique but perpendicular, and often rather big as it can be connected to the one above it. It seems less orange than the Meadow Fritillary because the brown patterns in the middle of the forewing, and especially, the ones in the middle of the hindwing are broader. The latter pattern is almost invisible in the case of the Meadow Fritillary. .

Knapweed Fritillary Aetherie Fritillary Provençal Fritillary This species is not common in Málaga. They were registered in the province, in particular, in Tejeda and Bermeja Mountains in June and July decades ago. According to the guide ‘Mariposas Diurnas de Sierra Nevada’ [Diurnal Butterfl lies in the Sierra Nevada], it fl ies in June and July in this mountain range, and it can be spotted around grass zones next to the mountain streams and glacial lakes. There is only one generation a year. Their caterpillars feed on the family Plantaginaceae, in particular, on lanceolata, which is the only one registered on the peninsula, although they also feed on other species from the same genus. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec This is one of the less common butterfl ies in Málaga, which cannot be found at every stage of the GMP: It is greatly important to send any information about spotting the species to the author of this guide.

Legend:

Great Malaga Path

Distribution of the species along the GMP GR-249 Great Malaga Path • DIURNAL 245