Melanargia lachesis
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
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 |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report an Iberian Marbled White sighting in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, based on 124 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 479 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report an Iberian Marbled White in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to May, the lowest months. That is one of Sierra Nevada National Park's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain against 130 mm in March.
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.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Iberian Marbled White sightings, Sierra Nevada National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Aigüestortes National Park (Spain, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Iberian Marbled White is recorded against all the insects logged in Sierra Nevada National Park (124 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
