Abstract
A total of 176 species of butterflies have been found in West Altai. Their distribution ranges, phenology, biological preferences, and taxonomic structure are analyzed. Numerous Siberian butterfly species from the genera Erebia, Oeneis, Clossiana, Boeberia, and Colias have been found in West Altai which may be accounted for its westernmost position in the mountain system of southern Siberia and very humid climate. At the same time, many western Palaearctic as well as few Middle Asian butterflies have been discovered in West Altai for the first time. West Altai is the region where pairs of sister species which diverged in the Western and Eastern Palaearctic can be found in secondary contact. In this study, a zone of stable secondary sympatry of Melitaea didyma (western element) and M. latonigena (eastern element) as well as that of Maculinea arion (western element) and M. cyanecula (eastern element) has been found. These findings provide the first strong evidence for the distinctness of the species in these sister pairs.
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