''Colias phicomone'', the mountain clouded yellow, is a

butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

in the family

Pieridae The Pieridae are a large family (biology), family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing about 1,100 species, mostly from Afrotropical realm, tropical Africa and Indomalayan realm, tropical Asia with some varieties in the more northern ...

. It is found in the

Cantabrian Mountains The Cantabrian Mountains or Cantabrian Range () are one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. They stretch for over 300 km (180 miles) across northern Spain, from the western limit of the Pyrenees to the Galician Massif ...

, the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

, the

Carpathian Mountains The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinav ...

and the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

. It flies at altitudes of 900 to 2800 meters.

Description

The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

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. 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 . The butterfly flies from June to August depending on the location. (MHNT) Colias Phicomone - Pic d'Aneto Espagne - male dorsal.jpg, ''Colias phicomone'' ♂ (MHNT) Colias Phicomone - Pic d'Aneto Espagne - male ventral.jpg, ''Colias phicomone'' ♂ △ (MHNT) Colias Phicomone - Sestriere Italia - female dorsal.jpg, ''Colias phicomone'' ♀ (MHNT) Colias Phicomone - Sestriere Italia - female ventral.jpg, ''Colias phicomone'' ♂ △

Biology

The larvae feed on ''

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

'' species.

Subspecies

*''Colias phicomone phicomone'' (Alps, northern Carpathians, northern Italy) *''Colias phicomone juliana'' Hospital, 1948 (Cantabria) *''Colias phicomone oberthueri'' Verity,

909 __NOTOC__ Year 909 ( CMIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Britain * King Edward the Elder and his sister, Princess Æthelflæd of Mercia, raid Danish East Anglia and bring back the relics o ...

/small> (Pyrenees) *''Colias phicomone phila'' Fruhstorfer, 1903 (Kashmir)

Similar species

*'' Colias hyale'' *''

Colias alfacariensis ''Colias alfacariensis'', Berger's clouded yellow, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It was separated from the pale clouded yellow, ''C. hyale'', in 1905. Berger's clouded yellow is a Palearctic species (South and Central Europe, South Rus ...

'' *'' Colias crocea'' *'' Colias myrmidone'' *''

Colias palaeno ''Colias palaeno'', known by the common names moorland clouded yellow, palaeno sulphur, and pale Arctic clouded yellow, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. Subspecies Subspecies include: – northern North America *''Colias palaeno chippewa'' ...

'' *'' Colias chrysotheme'' *''

Colias erate ''Colias erate'', commonly known as the eastern pale clouded yellow, is a species of butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found from south-eastern Europe, through Turkey over central Asia up to Japan and Taiwan. To the south, its range stretch ...

Etymology

Named in the

Classical tradition The Western classical tradition is the reception of classical Greco-Roman antiquity by later cultures, especially the post-classical West, involving texts, imagery, objects, ideas, institutions, monuments, architecture, cultural artifacts, ritu ...

.In Greek mythology Phicomone, is one of the

Danaïdes In Greek mythology, the Danaïdes (; ), also Danaides or Danaids, were the fifty daughters of Danaus, king of Ancient Libya, Libya. Danaus and the Danaids feared that Danaus's twin brother, Aegyptus, was plotting to overthrow and kill them. So, t ...

References

External links

Butterflies of Europa
phicomone Near threatened animals Butterflies of Europe Butterflies described in 1780 {{Pieridae-stub