Satyrinae of the Western Palearctic

Pseudochazara alpina (Staudinger, 1878)

Type locality: "Kurush im nordestlichen Caucasus...3000 m, the slopes, the Shahdagh" [Kurush, S. Daghestan]

Range: Teberda of the Greater Caucasus to Daghestan.

Habitat: Hillside and open scree or rocky outcrops and stony slopes at 1,500-3,100 m

Flight Period: July to August

Subspecies:

ssp. alpina (Staudinger, 1878) – slopes of Kurush in the Shahdagh;

ssp. guriensis (Staudinger, 1878) = tshetverikovi (Sheljuzhko, 1935); olga (Gerhard, 1882).- Akhaltsikhe, Georgia;

ssp. rjabovi (Sheljuzhko, 1935) – Untsukul - Chirkata pass, Dagestan at 1,800m;

Note: P. alpina guriensis has been considered to be a distinct species by many authors, however scientific evidence shows that the underside of P. alpina ssp. varies according to the kind of habitat in which the subspecies flies.  P. alpina alpina flies in habitats which have dark rocks such as on the northern slopes of Mount Elbrus, hence the dark underside whereas P. alpina guriensis flies in xerophytic habitats.  P. alpina rjabovi flies in sandstone habitats such as at the Salatau ridge in Dagestan, hence the lighter colored underside.  This same behavior has been adapted by P. graeca and P. schahrudensis.