About Hypodryas cynthia (Denis & Schiffermüller), 1775
This species currently has the scientific name Hypodryas cynthia (Denis & Schiffermüller), 1775, and it was previously referenced as Euphydryas cynthia. The wingspan of this moth or butterfly ranges from 32 to 42 mm. Its forewing and hindwing uppersides feature an orange and brown checkered pattern. The pattern is separated by wing veins and arranged into lines. This species shows clear sexual dimorphism. Males have white checkerboards in the basal and discal areas of the wings, while females have all-orange checkered wing patterns. The reverse (underside) of the wings is orange with light-colored checkerboards. For males, these light checkerboards are present on both the anterior and posterior sections of the wings. For females, light checkerboards are only found towards the posterior section, while the anterior wing area has more or less dark checkering. On both the upperside and underside of female wings, the orange checkers of the postdiscal band have a black dot at their center. Different subspecific forms have distinct traits: the form Euphydryas cynthia alpicola is small, with a black suffusion on the front of the wings. The forms Euphydryas cynthia drenovskii and Euphydryas cynthia leonardi are larger and more brightly colored than other forms.
