Colias myrmidone
Colias myrmidone, the Danube clouded yellow, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae.

Distribution  
It is found from Western Asia, through Southern Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Hungary up to Austria and the Jura Mountains near Regensburg in Germany.

Description 
The wingspan is 44–50 mm. the butterflies of the second generation are often slightly larger than those of the first generation. The wing uppers of the males are bright orange-yellow in ground colour and have a dark edge that is not dusted. The dark border is narrower on the hind wingsand not broken through by veins (in contrast to Colias crocea ). The wing uppers of the females are orange-yellow to greenish-white ( C. myrmidone f. alba ) in colour and have a dark, dusty border. On the hind wings, the spots of the submarginal region often form
a continuous band.In both sexes there is a red spot in the cell on the underside of the hindwing, the underside of the forewing has faint black spots in the postdiscal region

Biology 
The larvae feed on species of the flowering plant in the genus Chamaecytisus  including Chamaecytisus ratisbonensis, Chamaecytisus ruthenicus and Chamaecytisus supinus.
Dwarf broom prefers nutrient-poor grassland , as it is quickly overgrown by other plants on fertilized, nutrient-rich soil. But the caterpillars of the butterfly are also dependent on the soil on which their food plants grow being not oversaturated with nutrients. Because if the plants have taken up too much nitrogen from the soil, the caterpillars can not tolerate it and die.

The butterfly flies in May and again from July to August in two generations.

Etymology
Named in the Classical tradition.In Greek mythology Myrmidone, is one of the Danaïdes, who married and killed Mineus, a son of Aegyptus.

Similar species 
Colias hyale 
Colias alfacariensis
Colias crocea
Colias phicomone
Colias palaeno
 Colias chrysotheme
Colias erate

References

External links

 Taxonomy and photos
 Fauna Europaea

myrmidone
Butterflies described in 1780
Butterflies of Asia
Butterflies of Europe
Taxa named by Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper