Melitaea deserticola

Melitaea deserticola
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Melitaea
Species:	M. deserticola
Binomial name
Melitaea deserticola Oberthür, 1909
Synonyms
Melitaea ab. deserticola Oberthür, 1876 Melitaea didyma harterti Rothschild, 1913 Melitaea didyma harterti ab. pseudoacraeina Rothschild, 1917 Melitaea didyma harterti ab. nigrofasciata Rothschild, 1917 Melitaea abyssinica scotti Higgins, 1941

The desert fritillary (Melitaea deserticola) is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. It is found in North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Egypt), Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

The larvae feed on Linaria aegyptiaca, Plantago media, Anarrhinum fruticosum and Anarrhinum species.

Subspecies

• Melitaea deserticola deserticola (North Africa)
• Melitaea deserticola macromaculata Belter, 1934 (Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, western Saudi Arabia)
• Melitaea deserticola scotti Higgins, 1941 (Yemen, Oman)