About Melanargia larissa Hübner, 1827
Melanargia larissa, commonly known as the Balkan marbled white, is a butterfly species belonging to the family Nymphalidae. This species can be found ranging from southeastern Europe (including Croatia, Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria, and Greece) and Asia Minor, through Transcaucasia, to north-western Iran. Its natural habitat includes dry grasslands, scrubby hillsides, and grassy woodland glades. Adult butterflies produce one generation per year, and are active on wing from mid-May to July. The wingspan of this species measures approximately 52 mm.
The nymotypical form larissa Hbn. (38f) is easily identifiable by the heavy sooty black coloring of the wing bases, with only the cell of the wing retaining any light-colored areas. Distinguishing forms closely allied to larissa from japygia-forms can only be done with difficulty and some degree of arbitrariness. In larissa forms, the transverse cell-bar of the forewing is not positioned as close to the center of the cell, appearing to be shifted slightly toward the apex of the cell; the median band of the hindwing has a somewhat different position, and also varies quite considerably. The geographic regions inhabited by larissa forms are grouped more or less around the Black Sea, while the distribution range of japygia-forms forms a wide arch surrounding the distribution of larissa forms. The larvae of Melanargia larissa feed on species of the grass genus Brachypodium.
