Argynnis niobe (Linnaeus, 1758)  
Niobe Fritillary, Mittlerer Perlmutterfalter, Chiffre (papillon) ou Nacre niobe, Перламутровка ниоба, Նիոբա

Distribution and biological peculiarities in Armenia: 
The species is common throughout Europe, but absent from Northern Europe, and is also found in Siberia, Russia, Iran, China and Korea. Armenia is inhabited by subspecies F. n. gigantea Staudinger, 1871, which occurs in arid grasslands at the elevations from 1000 to 2400 m a.s.l. The species uses various Viola spp as the host plant. It gives one generation per year having butterflies on wing from mid May till late June, sometimes early July.

Population dynamics:
The species is somewhat uncommon within typical habitat, and shows stable population trend in 2003-2013 (p>0.05), however, it occurs in lower density in degraded grasslands. Thus, there is a possibility that the current ten-year period is not enough for demonstrating the population trend, taking major transformations into account.

Conservation measures: 
The species has not been evaluated for IUCN and Armenian Red Lists, and also is not included in CITES and Bern Conventions, however is listed in European Red Book as Least Concern. Preliminary assessment of its national conservation status, suggests the same one, but with a reservation of obligate monitoring of its population trend for the next ten-years period. At current the species' distribution is partly covered by Zangezur Biosphere Complex, Gnishik Protected Landscape, and Khosrov Forest State Reserve, as well as by appropriate Emerald Sites, and also by Prime Butterfly Areas: Meghri, Gudemnis, Kaladash, Shvanidzor, Gnisheek, and Ourtsadzor. At current there is no need for additional conservation measures, other than the monitoring mentioned above.

Photo: C.R. Pape