Colias phicomone

Colias phicomone, the mountain clouded yellow, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the Cantabrian Mountains, the Pyrenees, the Carpathian Mountains and the Alps. It flies at altitudes of 900 to 2800 meters.

Mountain clouded yellow
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pieridae
Genus:	Colias
Species:	C. phicomone
Binomial name
Colias phicomone (Esper, 1780)
Synonyms
Papilio phicomone Esper, 1780

Description

The wingspan is 40–50 mm. The males have yellow wing tops with heavy dark scales, resulting in a dark greenish overall colouration. More or less developed, partially absent yellow submarginal spots are located on the dark edge of the wings . There is a black spot in the center of the forewing and a yellowish-reddish center spot on the hindwing. The edge of the front and outer edges of the forewings and the entire edge of the hindwing is rose-red, as are the head and antennae. The underside of the forewings is white, at the apexmore or less yellow. The underside of the hindwings is yellow and has dark scales on the inner part. The central spot, which is often double, is mother-of-pearl with a red border, which sometimes extends outwards in the form of a line. The female is impure white above, with fewer but more sharply localized dark markings, paler below. ^[1] The butterfly flies from June to August depending on the location.

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  Colias phicomone ♂
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  Colias phicomone ♂ △
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  Colias phicomone ♀
• 
  Colias phicomone ♂ △

Biology

The larvae feed on Fabaceae species.

Subspecies

• Colias phicomone phicomone (Alps, northern Carpathians, northern Italy)
• Colias phicomone juliana Hospital, 1948 (Cantabria)
• Colias phicomone oberthueri Verity, [1909] (Pyrenees)
• Colias phicomone phila Fruhstorfer, 1903 (Kashmir)

Similar species

• Colias hyale
• Colias alfacariensis
• Colias crocea
• Colias myrmidone
• Colias palaeno
• Colias chrysotheme
• Colias erate

Etymology

Named in the Classical tradition.In Greek mythology Phicomone, is one of the Danaïdes.

References

1. Lionel G. Higgins, Norman D. Rilley: The Butterflies of Europe and Northwest Africa (A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Britain and Europe). Paul Parey Publishers, 1971, ISBN 3-490-02418-4 .

External links

• Butterflies of Europa