Euphydryas desfontainii (Godart, 1819)

Host plants:
The eggs are deposited on Dipsacaceae (Knautia, Scabiosa, Cephalaria, Dipsacus). In Europe, Cephalaria leucantha is the most important host plant.

Habitat:
Euphydryas desfontainii inhabits warm, open scrub, rocky slopes, scree or forest-near, structure-rich grasslands, often together with Melitaea deione and Euphydryas aurinia beckeri. In the Spanish East Pyrenees I recorded many larvae in rocky street embankments in bushy pastures between about 900 and 1500m. But locally, Euphydryas desfontainii descends even to sea level. Important for oviposition is a hot micro climate above rock or bare ground with full sunshine.

Life cycle:
Oviposition occurs in batches on lower sides of leaves. At first, the larvae live gregariously in a webbing. In the antepenultimate instar they construct a double-walled, dense webbing where they aestivate and hibernate gregariously. I recorded many such webbings constructed within the lower parts of the host plants, but above ground., in mid-September 2021 (Spanish east Pyrenees). The webbing is left in spring for feeding again. The larvae usually retreat into it for still some time in feeding breaks. They are mature in the spring (April or May) and live then more singly. I recorded such mature larvae in mid-May 2022 (late year), but then also already prepupae on rocks and dwarf shrubs.
The adults fly mostly in May and early June, more rarely as early as April or until late June or early July in higher altitudes. In the Sierra Nevada (Andalucia), I met old males and fresh females in the last third of June 2008 (late year). The males often sit on small bushes. The females like to visit flowers.

Endangerment factors:
Euphydryas desfontainii is locally threatened by expansion of intensive agriculture into so far unused habitats and the exuberant tourism (infrastructure). On the other hand also abandonment of non-intense grazing and subsequent reforestation is an increasing problem.

Remarks:
The distribution extends from Morocco and western Algeria across the Iberian peninsula (locally, especially in the mountains up to 1800m above sea level) and reaches just the lowest elevations of the French eastern Pyrenees.

Hint: photos shown until August 2022 have prooved misidentified and have been assigned to E. beckeri.