Argyronome laodice (Pallas, 1771)
Argynnis laodice (Pallas, 1771)

Additional German name: Grünlicher Perlmutterfalter, Östlicher Perlmuttfalter

De Moya et al. (2017) have performed a detailed phylogeny analysis of the genus Argynnis in a wider sense and have restricted the genus Argynnis to the present species and a small number of closely related species. The authors discuss the arguments for and against this restrictive use of Argynnis and conclude that the restriction is better supported than lumping all species into an expanded Argynnis in the wider sense. Therefore, these authors recognize three genera: Argynnis (in a restricted sense), Fabriciana and Speyeria. The thorough analysis by De Moya et al. (2017) provides very convincing arguments for this concept of three genera instead of a single huge Argynnis and therefore I adopt this concept here. The present species is a member of the subgenus Argyronome, together with its closest relative, the Asian species Argynnis ruslana.