Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis (Ribbe, 1905))
Scientific name: Colias alfacariensis (Ribbe, 1905)
Common name: Berger's Clouded Yellow
Other names: Other scientific names: Colias sareptensis, Colias australis.
French name: Fluoré, Coliade de l'Hippocrépide
Order: Lepidoptera
Suborder: Rhopalocera
Family: Pieridae
Subfamily: Coliadinae
Wingspan: 42-54 mm.
Biotope: Meadows, steppes, woodland edges, dry and rocky places.
Geographic area: Southern and central Europe, Asia Minor and southern Russia.
Flight time: March to November.
Number of generations : 2 to 4.
Caterpillar: Green with four yellow longitudinal lines bordered on one side by a series of regularly spaced black spots.
Host plant: Horseshoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa), and sometimes Crown Vetch (Coronilla varia).
The upper side of the wings is a bright lemon colour on males and a greenish white colour on females.
The upper side of the fore wings shows a large black margin with yellow patches and a black discocellular mark.
The upper side of the hind wings shows a large bright orange discal patch and a thin dark margin.
It is difficult to observe the upper side of wings of the butterflies of this family as they are used to landing with closed wings.
The under side of the hind wings shows a eight-shaped white patch, circled with purple red.
The Berger's Clouded Yellow over winters as a small caterpillar on the host plant.
It is very difficult, in the imago form, to tell the Berger's Clouded Yellow apart from the Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias hyale). Here are some keys (to take with reserve as I do not have that much experience on this subject).
The Berger's Clouded Yellow is a slightly larger size and brighter coloured.
The shape of the outer edge of the fore wing is generally regularly curved near the apex on Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis) and the edge is rather straight towards the apex on Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias hyale).
You can also use an eventual grey scaling on the under side of the hind wings. It is uniform on the whole wings on Colias alfacariensis and located in the basal area on Colias hyale.

Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis) - Yvelines, France - 15 octobre 2011
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Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis)
The outer edge of the fore wing, slightly curved towards the apex, seems to indicate the Colias alfacariensis species rather than the Colias hyale species.


Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis) - Yvelines, France - August 10th 2011
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Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis)
The outer edge of the fore wing is also curved on this specimen photographed at the same place as the above one but earlier in the year.


Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis) - Yvelines, France - August 10th 2011
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Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis)
Here is a view of the same specimen but back-lighted.
The black marks on the fore wings are visible by transparency.
The spider of the Xysticus genus, under the flower, will have to wait for a smaller prey to get its next meal.


Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis) - Yvelines, France - June 13th 2011
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Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis)
I have observed this mating on a calcareous meadow which is more an habitat for the Berger's Clouded Yellow rather than for the Pale Clouded Yellow.


Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis) - Yvelines, France - October 15th 2011
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Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis)
Females are a greenish white colour.

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