Melitaea turkmanica (Higgins, 1940) Turkmen Fritillary, Шашечница ведийская, Վեդիական մելիթեա
Distribution and biological peculiarities in Armenia: The species is distributed in North-eastern Turkey, Armenia, Kopet-Dagh, and Iran. Armenia is inhabited by subspecies M.t. vedica Nekrutenko, 1975, which inhabits only one spot at the foothils of Gegham Mountain Ridge. The larval host-plant is Serratula serratuloides. The species gives one generation per annum, having butterflies on wing from mid May to late June.
Population dynamics: The species is slightly uncommon within typical habitat, though giving fluctuations in some years. Population trend appears to be stable, probably due to the reason of full coverage of the species' distribution by protected areas. There was some trade for the species at a small scale which apparently did not influence its population.
Conservation measures: The species is not included in the Global and European Red Lists, as well as in CITES and Bern Conventions, but is evaluated for Armenian Red Book as Endangered EN B1a+B2a. The current distribution range of the species is fully covered by Khosrov Forest State Reserve, and therefore, there is no need for additional conservation measures for the species. Instead the efforts should be directed towards development of butterfly-watching in the Reserve as it can help in increasing financial stability of the Reserve and sustainability of their duties. The Turkmen Fritillary can play a role of flagship species in that process.