MARBLED WHITE
MELANARGIA GALATHEA
Fig 1
ADULT: Wingspan - 53mm (male); 58mm (female).  Quite simply a distinctive butterfly due to the black and white reticulations of the upperwing surfaces.  Females appear more paler.  The undersides of both sexes are as above but paler with the female appearing more olive green in colour. CHRYSALIS: 12 - 15mm.  Pale brown and located under moss and earth. LARVA: 28mm.  Pale yellow or brown with one yellow line along each side and two black lines across the back.  EGG: White, round and located within tall grass and vegetation.  Hatching time within 23 days. BEHAVIOUR: Found in colonies some of which are quite populated.  Morning and evenings are best for viewing as both sexes enjoy basking on the tops of tall flowers and grasses.  The slow wingbeat is distinctive. HABITAT: Chalk and limestone hillsides, grassland, open meadows and verges. FLIGHT PERIOD: Mid June - August.

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