Melanargia lachesis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Melanargia lachesis, the Iberian marbled white, is a butterfly species belonging to the family Nymphalidae. It can be found on the Iberian Peninsula and the south of France. The length of the forewings is 25–28 mm. Seitz- M. lachesis Hbn. (= nemausica Esp.) (38b). Lighter than galathea, even than the lightest forms of the same. The black discocellular anguliform spot of the forewing constricted where it is bent. Hindwing entirely white, apart from the interrupted submarginal band; the base very sparingly dusted, the markings of the underside however shine through in the male. In Spain, Portugal and South France. – The specimens with creamy yellow ground-colour, which are somewhat rarer than the chalky white canigulensis Obth.; from the Pyrenees.
The butterflies fly in one generation from June to August.They occur from the plain to about 1,600 meters above sea level. They prefer dry, flowering, natural meadows that can also be overgrown with bushes. The larvae feed on various grasses.
Butterflies of Europe Satyrinae of the Western Palearctic Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Iberian Marbled White sighting in Madrid on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 409th most-seen of the 457 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Iberian Marbled White in Madrid on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months. Those are among Madrid's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 65 mm in October.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Iberian Marbled White sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Iberian Marbled White sightings, Madrid ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Barcelona (Spain, about 10%) and Lisbon (Portugal, under 5%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Iberian Marbled White that you can see in Madrid (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Speckled Wood (about 20%), Painted Lady (about 20%) and Red Admiral (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Iberian Marbled White is recorded against all the insects logged in Madrid (5 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
