Melitaea deserticola

Melitaea deserticola, the desert fritillary, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Egypt), Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

"Desert fritillary" redirects here. For the other butterfly with this common name, see Melitaea trivia.

Melitaea deserticola
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Nymphalidae
Genus:
Melitaea
Species:
M. deserticola
Binomial name
Melitaea deserticola
Synonyms
  • Melitaea ab. deserticola Oberthür, 1876
  • Melitaea didyma harterti Rothschild, 1913
  • Melitaea didyma harterti ab. pseudoacraeina Rothschild, 1917
  • Melitaea didyma harterti ab. nigrofasciata Rothschild, 1917
  • Melitaea abyssinica scotti Higgins, 1941

The larvae feed on Linaria aegyptiaca, Plantago media, Anarrhinum fruticosum and Anarrhinum species.

Subspecies
  • Melitaea deserticola deserticola (North Africa)
  • Melitaea deserticola macromaculata Belter, 1934 (Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, western Saudi Arabia)
  • Melitaea deserticola scotti Higgins, 1941 (Yemen, Oman)

References
  1. "Melitaea Fabricius, 1807" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms


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