Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe) or Eastern Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea telona)

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The Eastern Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea telona) has only recently been split from the Knapweed Fritillary (Melitaea phoebe) following a comparison of cellular mitochondrial DNA sequences. This butterfly was photographed in the Maiella National Park, central-eastern Italy, and according to the known distributions it could be either species, which are hard to identify as adults, while the larvae are very different. This individual would appear to resemble Melitaea telona, ie the Eastern Knapweed Fritillary, but this identification is not certain.

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Size: 4672px × 3104px
Location: Maiella National Park, central Italy
Photo credit: © Paul Harris / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: butterfly, eastern, fritillary, italy, knapweed, maiella