About Archon apollinus (Herbst, 1798)
Archon apollinus (Herbst, 1798), originally described as apollinus HIM. (synonyms pythius Esp., thia Hubn) in Seitz, has forewings with a grey base and rather dense dark transverse pencilling. Males occasionally bear small red markings. In fresh specimens, the hindwing is chalky-white, becoming yellowish when worn; the dark hindwing border holds reddish spots with blue centers. Females are darker, stouter, have pencilling on their hindwings, and are scattered with red scaling in places. The species is found in western and southwestern districts of Asia Minor, with transitional forms occurring in Syria and Mesopotamia. Among the typical form, especially in southern regions like Aintab, the female aberration rubra Stgr. appears: this morph has strong red markings on the hindwing, with red concentrated into spots at the wing base. The opposite aberration, krystallina Schilde, is distinguished by sparse scaling that leaves the wings transparent and marked with very few patterns; these individuals appear anywhere among typical populations. A particularly strongly colored form, bellargus Stgr., has an intensified dark submarginal costal marking on the forewing that forms a distinct spot, along with a broad marginal band on the hindwing heavily shaded with blue and red. In female bellargus, the base of the hindwing lacks pencilling and is never tinted red. This form occurs in Kessab, Syria, and an almost identical population is found in Palestine, while transitional forms connecting bellargus to the originally described morph live in the Cilician Taurus. The form amasina Stgr. has less intense markings overall, and is particularly identifiable by a distinct black hook-shaped spot at the apex of the cell on its hindwing. It is found in Pontus (Amasia) and East Kurdistan. In northeast Asia Minor (Goman Olti, Pontus, at approximately 1500 m altitude) and Armenia, a usually smaller, pale mountain form with sparse markings in both sexes, and a reduced hindwing marginal band, is recognized as apollinaris Stgr. (= pallidior Spuler), now treated as the separate species Archon apollinaris. A dwarfed female morph that is very deeply colored, contrasting with the typical female form of this taxon, is known as female aberration mardina (Stgr. i. I.), a name already in use for this form in collections. Older individuals often lose scales, especially on the forewings, becoming very transparent.
