Appearance
The wingspan is about 52 mm. The nymotypical form "larissa" Hbn. is easily recognized by the strongly sooty blackening of the bases of the wings, only the cell having some light places left. The forms allied to "larissa" can be separated from the "japygia"- forms only withdifficulty and some arbitrariness. The transverse cell-bar of the forewing is not so close to the centre of the cell, being apparently a little shifted towards the apex of the same, and the median band of the hindwing has a somewhat different position, but also varies rather considerably. The countries inhabited by the forms of "larissa" are more or less grouped around the Black Sea, while the distribution area of the "japygia" -forms encircles that of "larissa" in a wide arch.
Naming
*"Melanargia larissa larissa"⤷ "Melanargia larissa grumi" Standfuss, 1892
⤷ "Melanargia larissa hylata"
⤷ "Melanargia larissa iranica" Seitz, 1907
⤷ "Melanargia larissa karabagi" Koçak, 1976
⤷ "Melanargia larissa kocaki" Wagener, 1983
⤷ "Melanargia larissa lorestanensis" Carbonell & Naderi, 2007
⤷ "Melanargia larissa massageta" Staudinger, 1901
⤷ "Melanargia larissa syriaca" Oberthur, 1894
⤷ "Melanargia larissa taurica" Rober, 1896
⤷ "Melanargia larissa titea" Klug, 1832Larissa - Larissa, a city in Thessaly
Food
The larvae feed on "Brachypodium" species.References:
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