Apatura metis Freyer, 1829 - Freyer's Purple Emperor.

An example of the so-called amphipalaearctic species, which range in Europe and, after a tremendous gap, appear in East Asia. These disjunctions obviously resulted from a more severe climate in the center of the continent (with many latitudinal mountains in addition) during climate coolings, whenewer they occur. This species in addition inhabits the very valley of the Irtysh River, in the middle of this gap. All the three range parts are inhabited with different subspecies. Here the eastern one is photograped. A peculiar violet lustre of the wing upperside is seen.

Range: SE Europe, the Irtysh and Ishim River valleys in West Siberia, and, after a tremendous gap, E Transbaikalia, the Russian Far East, NE China, Korea, Japan.

ssp.: substituta Butler, 1873; range: the eastern part of the species range.

A male, wings half open

The Onon River righht bank floodland, 7 km upstream of the village Nizhnii Tsasuchei, SE Chita Province, Transbaikalia, Siberia, Russia, 5th July 1995. O. Kosterin