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Melanargia
Encyclopedia
Melanargia is a genus of butterflies of the subfamily Satyrinae
tribe
Satyrini
subtribe Melanargiina belonging to the family Nymphalidae
.
This genus, described by Johann Wilhelm Meigen
in 1828, is the only genus in the subtribe Melanargiina, Wheeler, 1903. Once the genus Melanargia was classified as belonging to Satyridae.
The adults of this genus of satyrines are easily distinguished by their white wings with black veins and markings (hence the common name ‘Marbled Whites’). A peculiar phenotypic distinctiveness is also a dilated vein 12 at the base of the forewing.
Butterflies of genus Melanargia are widespread from Europe
and north Africa
to Japan
.
Satyrinae
Satyrinae, the satyrines or satyrids, commonly known as the Browns, is a subfamily of the Nymphalidae . They were formerly considered a distinct family, Satyridae. This group contains nearly half of the known diversity of brush-footed butterflies...
tribe
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
Satyrini
Satyrini
The Satyrini are a huge tribe of the Satyrinae, containing the graylings, ringlets and allies. They belong to the Nymphalidae family...
subtribe Melanargiina belonging to the family Nymphalidae
Nymphalidae
The Nymphalidae is a family of about 5,000 species of butterflies which are distributed throughout most of the world. These are usually medium sized to large butterflies. Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colourful wings flat when resting. They are also called...
.
This genus, described by Johann Wilhelm Meigen
Johann Wilhelm Meigen
Johann Wilhelm Meigen was a German entomologist famous for his pioneering work on Diptera.-Early years:Meigen was born in Solingen, the fifth of eight children of Johann Clemens Meigen and Sibylla Margaretha Bick. His parents, though not poor, were not wealthy either. The ran a small shop in...
in 1828, is the only genus in the subtribe Melanargiina, Wheeler, 1903. Once the genus Melanargia was classified as belonging to Satyridae.
The adults of this genus of satyrines are easily distinguished by their white wings with black veins and markings (hence the common name ‘Marbled Whites’). A peculiar phenotypic distinctiveness is also a dilated vein 12 at the base of the forewing.
Butterflies of genus Melanargia are widespread from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and north Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
List of Species and Subspecies
The investigations on genetic divergence and phylogenetic relationships among Melanargia species have recognized three subgenera (Melanargia, Argeformia, and Halimede) and reclassified the genus in 20 Species and relevant Subspecies as followsSubgenus Melanargia, Meigen, 1829
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Subgenus Argeformia Verity, 1953
Subgenus Halimede (Oberth¨ur & Houlbert, 1922)
b. Melanargia meridionalis ssp. tapaishanensis Wagener, 1961 stat. rev.
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