Knapweed Fritillary
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Melitaea phoebe
Found only in the Palearctic ecozone of Southern Europe.
The Larvae are grey with a black head, soft red-brown branched thorns, blackish dorsal lines, and numerous small white dots.
The Larvae feed on Plantago and Centaurea species (including Centaurea jacea).
The species features a reddish-yellow submarginal lunate (crescent-shaped) spot between the two median veins that reaches its vertex, considerably further into the disc than the other yellow lunate spots.
This pattern is present on both the forewings and the hindwings.
Flight period is from April-September, depending on location.