Argynnis pandora

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Panorpida
Cladus: Amphiesmenoptera
Ordo: Lepidoptera
Subordo: Glossata
Cladus: Coelolepida
Cladus: Myoglossata
Cladus: Neolepidoptera
Infraordo: Heteroneura
Cladus: Eulepidoptera
Cladus: Ditrysia
Cladus: Apoditrysia
Cladus: Obtectomera
Superfamilia: Papilionoidea

Familia: Nymphalidae
Subfamilia: Heliconiinae
Tribus: Argynnini
Genus: Argynnis
Species: Argynnis pandora
Subspecies: A. p. argentifasciata – A. p. pandora – A. p. pasargades – A. p. seitzi
Name

Argynnis pandora (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)
Synonyms

Papilio pandora Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
Papilio maja Cramer, [1775]
Pandoriana pandora transcaucasica Moucha, 1967

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Kardinal
español: Pandora
français: Cardinal
magyar: Zöldes gyöngyházlepke
македонски: Кардинал
Nederlands: Kardinaalsmantel
Türkçe: Bahadır

Argynnis pandora, the cardinal, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is common throughout southern Europe and is also found in northern Africa and the Middle east and then east across the Palearctic to northwestern India.

Description in Seitz

The wingspan is 64–80 mm. A. pandora Schiff. (= cinara F., maja Cr.) (71c). The largest European Argynnis. Above strongly recalling valesina, but brighter greenish, densely spotted with black. Beneath quite different, the apex of the forewing and the hindwing bright green, the disc of the forewing fleshy red and spotted with deep black, the hindwing with a few narrow bands, which are more white than silvery and vary strongly in number and development.
Biology

The butterfly flies from April[1] to September[2] (in Europe typically May to August) depending on the location. In Switzerland, the species is found at altitudes of up to 2600 meters. Among other habitats, it favours deciduous and open pine forests, in which there is a large supply of nectar-rich plants from the genera Cirsium , Carduus or Centaurea.

References

"Argynnis pandora (Bahadır)". Kelebek Türk. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
Rowlings, Matt. http://www.eurobutterflies.com/species_pages/pandora.htm. Accessed 1 January 2013.