Butterflies of Mt Chelmos

Several species of butterflies are included in the fauna of Chelmos, some of them being rare or have very restricted spread. Among these species the blue butterflies Agrodiaetus iphigenia and Agrodiaetus coelestinus are the most famous, as they are Asian species and the upper zone of Chelmos is the only European location where they have been recorded.

Of Asian origin are also the rare species Thersamonia thetis and Turanana panagaea, which, together with the moth Calimorpha quantripunctaria, have a very narrow European distribution, limited to a few Greek mountains, including Mt Chelmos. In the middle zone of the mountain we will find some more butterflies with very limited distribution, such as Pseudofilotes bavius ​​and Cyaniris helena.

These species, as well as many others living in Chelmos, are an attraction pole for European entomologists who come here to photograph and study them.

Text: A. Kaltsis
Photos: T. Adamakopoulos

Photos and descriptions for butterfly species of Mt Chelmos are included in the hiking application Chelmos topoguide, available for both Android and iOS (iPhone and iPad) devices.
The application guides the user to locate the typical biotope of each species.