ÏÎÄÂÈÄÛ
ssp. betulae (Linnaeus, 1758): EU, N.Caucasus, Saur, Tarbagatai, Dzhungarsky Alatau, Siberia, Amur, Ussuri
ssp. crassa (Leech, 1894): S.Ussuri
ssp. coreana (Nire, 1919): Korea
ssp. elwesi (Leech, 1890): W.China, C.China
ssp. ongodai (Tutt, 1908):
ssp. yiliguozigounae (Huang & Murayama, 1992)

TYPE LOCALITY
Sweden.

SYNONYMS
spinosae (Gerhard, [1850]);
ongodai Tutt, 1908;
daurica Dubatolov, 1999.

DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION
The central and S. European part, the N. Caucasus, Siberia, the Amur and Ussuri regions are populated by the nominotypical form. Specimens from the S. Ussuri region are larger and brighter than those from the other parts of the distribution area. The record in Kura Valley (Transcaucasia) by Lederer (1857) requires confirmation.

TAXONOMIC NOTES
Some authors (Tuzov, 1993; Fujioka, 1994) attribute material from the S. Ussuri region either to the ssp. crassa (Leech, 1894) or to coreana (Nire, 1919). Specimens available from the Amur and Ussuri regions show clearly a cline both in colouration and size. If the cline is reconfirmed in Korea as well, the taxon coreana should be treated as a synonym of crassa . The status of both Chinese taxa, crassa and elwesi (Leech, 1890), remains unclear. Fujioka (1994b) treats both as subspecies of betulae .

HABITATS AND BIOLOGY
Edges and glades of different kinds of forest, bottomland thickets, parks, gardens, etc. Flight period: end of July to mid-September. Host plant: Padus avium . The following host plants have also been noted: P. asiatica and Armeniaca mandshurica in the S. Ussuri region (Dantchenko et al., 1995), Prunus spinosa in the N. Caucasus (Nikolaevsky, pers. comm.), and Crataegus sanguinea in the S. Altais (Zhdanko, 1997) and Saur Mts. (Dantchenko, 1999). References to Betula spp. as foodplants are absolutely erroneous. Egg-laying solitary, as a rule, on stem or at branching points of young plants. Hibernation ovarial. Instar 1 larvae feeding on young leaves, resting on the upper surface at the central vein. Mature larvae apple green with whitish lateral stripes, head black (Pl. 87, fig. 4). Pupation in the soil at base of the host plant.

SIMILAR SPECIES
Thecla betulina : ground colour of UNS purple with bright stripes discally and postdiscally. Female without orange postdiscal area of UNF.

Hosted by uCoz