The Invertebrate family consists one of the biggest family inside the animal‘s kingdom with over 1.000.000 species all over the world. In Greece there are recorded 27.000 species from which the 4.000 are endemics and it is estimated that there are more species which have not yet been traced. Their main characteristics are that they lack a notochord or a spinal column (as their Latin name also indicates) and they have a vast diversity.

One of the numerous, in species, phylum of the Invertebrates are the Mollusks (ex. Snails) and the Arthropods. At the Arthropod phylum there are many classes like the Arachnid (ex. spiders, scorpions, mites etc.), the Crustaceans (ex. crabs, shrimps, etc.), the Millipedes (ex. centipedes etc.), the Insects etc.

The biggest and the most various class of the Invertebrates and of the whole animal kingdom, are the Insects, where until now it counts 1.1 million recorded species. Their body is consisted of three parts (head, thorax and abdomen) and they are characterized by three main variations, a) they have external mouthparts, b) three pairs of legs and c) usually they have two pairs of wings at their thoracic area. Some of them have one pair or none.

Some of the biggest classes of the Insects are the Hymenoptera (ex. wasps, bees, ants etc), the Coleoptera (ex. beetles, etc), the Diptera (ex, mosquitos, flies etc.) and the Ledidoptera (ex. butterflies, moths, etc).

The Lepidoptera have two membranous wings which are covered with overlapping scales which variegate in size, shape and color. Also they have mouthparts with the form of sucking tube.

The Rodopi Mountain Range is one of the most significant biotopes of Greece for the Lepidoptera. Particularly in the RMRNP there are 180 species of Lepidoptera from the 235 which have been recorded in whole Greece. Many of them are endemic of the Rodopi Mountain Range and the mountain Falakro and they are referred to the The Red Data Book of Greece as vulnerable.

Following there is an indicative table of the Invertebrates of the RMRNP:

Lepidoptera of the Rodopi Mountain Range National Park (RMRNP) and conservation status

No	SCIENTIFIC NAME	RED LIST of THREATENED SPECIES of GREECE	IUCN Red List	BERN CONVENTION	CITES	HABITATS DIRECTIVE 92/43/EEC

Papilionidae
1	Iphiclides podalirius L.
2	Papilio machaon L.
3	Zerynthia polyxena Denis & Schiffermüller			II		IV
4	Allancastria cerisyi Godart
5	Parnassius apollo L.		VU	II	II	IV
6	Parnassius mnemosyne L.			II		IV
Pieridae
7	Aporia crataegi L.
8	Pieris brassicae L.
9	Pieris rapae L.
10	Pieris ergane Geyer
11	Pieris mannii Mayer
12	Pieris napi L.
13	Pontia edusa Fabricius
14	(Pontia chloridice Hübner	EN
15	Euchloe ausonia Hubner
16	Anthocharis cardamines L.
17	Colias crocea Geoffroy
18	Colias alfacariensis Ribbe
19	Colias erate Esper
20	Gonepteryx rhamni L.
21	Gonepteryx cleopatra L.
22	Leptidea sinapis L./( Leptidea reali Reissinger)
23	Leptidea duponcheli Staudinger
Riodinidae
24	Hamearis lucina L.
Libytheidae
25	Libythea celtis Fuessli
Lycaenidae
26	Thecla betulae L.
27	Neozephyrus quercus L.
28	Satyrium acaciae Fabricius
29	Satyrium ilicis Esper
30	Satyrium w-album Knoch
31	Satyrium pruni L. (syn. Strymonidia prumi L.)
32	Satyrium spini Denis & Schiffermüller
33	Callophrys rubi L.
34	Lycaena phlaeas L.
35	Lycaena dispar Haworth (Distributed only in N. Greece)	VU	LR(nt)	II		II/IV
36	Lycaena virgaureae L.
37	Heodes (Lycaena) alciphron Rottemburg
38	(Lycaena ottomanus Lefèbvre)		VU
39	Lycaena tityrus Poda
40	Lycaena thersamon Esper
41	Lycaena candens Herrich-Schäffer
42	Lampides boeticus L.
43	Leptotes pirithous L.
44	Cupido decoloratus Staudinger(Distributed mostly in the RMRNP)
45	Cupido alcetas Hoffmannsegg
46	Cupido argiades Pallas (Distributed mostly in the borders of the RMRNP)
47	Cupido minimus Fuessly
48	Cupido osiris Meigen
49	Celastrina argiolus L.
50	Glaucopsyche alexis Poda
51	Maculinea rebeli Hirschke
52	Maculinea arion L. (syn. Phengaris arion L.)		LR(nt)	II		IV
53	Iolana iolas Ochsenheimer
54	Pseudophilotes vicrama Moore
55	Scolitantides orion Pallas
56	Plebeius pylaon Fischer-Waldheim
57	Plebeius argus L.
58	Plebeius idas L.
59	Plebeius argyrognomon Bergsträsser
60	Aricia agestis Denis & Schiffermüller
61	Aricia artaxerxes Fabricius
62	Aricia eumedon Esper
63	Aricia anteros Freyer
64	Polyommatus semiargus Rottemburg
65	Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) admetus Esper
66	Polyommatus aroaniensis Brown		LC
67	Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) eleniae Coutsis & dePrins (Distributed only in RMRNP)	EN	DD
68	Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) ripartii Freyer
69	Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) dantchenkoi Lukhtanov & Wiemers (Distributed only in the RMRNP)
70	Polyommatus nephohiptamenos Brown et Coutsis (Distributed only in the RMRNP)		NT
71	Polyommatus daphnis Denis et Schiffermüller
72	Polyommatus coridon Poda		LC
73	Polyommatus bellargus Rottemburg
74	Polyommatus escheri Hübner
75	Polyommatus amanda Schneider
76	Polyommatus thersites Cantener
77	Polyommatus dorylas Denis et Schiffermüller
78	Polyommatus eroides Frivaldszky					II, IV
79	Polyommatus icarus Rottemburg
80	Polyommatus andronicus Coutsis & Gavalas (Distributed only in the RMRNP)	EN
Nymphalidae
81	Apatura iris L.
82	Apatura metis Freyer			II		IV
83	Limenitis populi Freyer (Distributed in the RMRNP and in another region in Greece)	VU
84	Limenitis camilla L. (Distributed only in the RMRNP)	VU
85	Limenitis reducta Staudinger
86	Neptis sappho Pallas	VU
87	Neptis rivularis Scopoli	VU
88	Nymphalis xanthomelas Denis & Schiffermüller	VU
89	Nymphalis polychloros L.
90	Nymphalis antiopa L.
91	Aglais io L.
92	Vanessa atalanta L.
93	Vanessa cardui L.
94	Aglais urticae L.
95	Polygonia c-album L.
96	Polygonia egea Cramer
97	Araschnia levana L.
98	Argynnis pandora Denis & Schiffermüller
99	Argynnis paphia L.
100	Argynnis niobe L.
101	Argynnis aglaja L.
102	Argynnis adippe Denis & Schiffermüller
103	Issoria lathonia L.
104	Brenthis hecate Denis & Schiffermüller
105	Brenthis daphne Denis & Schiffermüller
106	Boloria graeca Staudinger
107	Boloria euphrosyne L.
108	Boloria (Clossiana) dia L.
109	Melitaea cinxia L.
110	Melitaea phoebe Denis & Schiffermüller
111	Melitaea didyma Esper
112	Melitaea trivia Denis & Schiffermüller
113	Melitaea athalia Rottemburg
114	Melitaea aurelia Nickerl
115	Euphydryas (Eurodryas, Hypodryas) aurinia Rottembourgh			II		II
Satyridae
116	Melanargia larissa Geyer
117	Melanargia galathea L.
118	Hipparchia fagi Scopoli		NT
119	Hipparchia syriaca Staudinger
120	Hipparchia senthes Fruhstorfer
121	Hipparchia delattini Kudrna
122	Hipparchia statilinus Hufnagel		LC
123	Hipparchia fatua Freyer
124	Chazara briseis L.
125	Pseudochazara orestes deVries & van der Poorten	EN	VU
126	Pseudochazara anthelea Hübner (References by L.N.Pamperis)
127	Satyrus ferula Fabricius
128	Minois dryas Scopoli (Distributed only in one - two regions in Greece inlcuding the RMRNP)	VU
129	Brintesia circe Fabricius
130	Arethusana arethusa Denis & Schiffermüller
131	Erebia ligea L.
132	Erebia euryale Esper
133	Erebia aethiops Esper (Distributed only in the RMRNP)	VU
134	Erebia medusa Denis & Schiffermüller
135	Erebia ottomana Herrich-Schãffer
136	Erebia cassioides Hohenwarth	CR	LC
137	Erebia oeme Hübner (Distributed in the RMRNP and in another region in Greece)	VU
138	Erebia melas Herbst		LC
139	Erebia rhodopensis Nicholl (Distributed mostly in the bulgarian part of the Rodopi Mountain Range and with a strong possibility to be found in the greek part too)	EN	LC
140	Maniola jurtina L.
141	Hyponephele lupina Costa
142	Hyponephele lycaon Kühn
143	Aphantopus hyperantus L.
144	Pyronia tithonus L.
145	Pyronia cecilia Vallantin
146	Coenonympha pamphilus L.
147	Coenonympha arcania L.
148	Coenonympha leander Esper
149	Coenonympha glycerion Borkhausen (Distributed only in the RMRNP)	VU
150	Coenonympha rhodopensis Elwes (Distributed in the RMRNP and in another region in Greece)		LC
151	Pararge aegeria L.
152	Lasiommata megera L.
153	Lasiommata maera L.
154	Lasiommata petropoliotana Fabricius
155	Kirinia roxelana Cramer
Hesperiidae
156	Pyrgus malvae L.
157	Pyrgus alveus Hübner
158	Pyrgus armoricanus Oberthür
159	Pyrgus serratulae Rambur
160	Pyrgus sidae Esper
161	Pyrgus cinarae Rambur
162	Pyrgus carthami Hübner
163	Spialia orbifer Hübner
164	Carcharodus alceae Esper
165	Carcharodus orientalis Reverdin
166	Carcharodus lavatherae Esper
167	Carcharodus flocciferus Zeller
168	Erynnis tages L.
169	Erynnis marloyi Boisduval (References by L.N.Pamperis)
170	Carterocephalus palaemon Pallas (Distributed only in the RMRNP)	VU
171	Thymelicus acteon Rottemburg
172	Thymelicus lineola Ochsenheimer
173	Thymelicus sylvestris Poda
174	Hesperia comma L.
175	Ochlodes sylvanus Esper

REFERENCES:	- Lazaros N. Pamperis (2009). Butterflies of Greece (2nd edition). Pamperis Publication. Larisa:pp 766
	- Lazaros N. Pamperis (2010). Butterflies of Greece (unpublished data)
	- Legakis, A., & Maragou, P. (2009). The Red Data Book of threatened animal species of Greece. Hellenic Zoological Society, Athens.
	- ANASTASSIU, H. T.: First recort of Clossiana selene in Greece (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Phegea 40 (1) (01.III.2012):15-16.
	- van Oorschot, H. and J. Coutsis: The Genus Melitaea Fabricius, 1807 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Nymphalinae), Taxonomy and systematics with special reference to the male genitalia, Tsikolovets Publications, 2014.
	- Lazaros N. Pamperis. Butterflies of Greece, the book. 2nd edition has been modified and data has been added. There is also an application (for Anroid, Windows and iOS) free for download in Google Play, in Windows Store and in App Store (January 2017).

Glossary for the table of Lepidoptera

Red List of Threatened species of Greece / IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria:
CR: Critically Endangered
ΕΝ : Endangered
VU: Vulnerable
ΝΤ: Near Threatened
LC: Least Concern
DD: Data Deficient
ΝΕ: Not Evaluated
Bern Convention:
II : Appendix II (Strictly protected fauna species)
III : Appendix III (Protected fauna species)
Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC:
II : Annex II (Animal and Plant species of community interest whose conservation requires the designation of special areas of conservation)
IV: Annex IV (Animal and Plant species of community interest in need of strict protection)
V: Annex V (Animal and Plant species of community interest whose taking in the wild and exploitation may be subject to management measures)
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
II : Appendix II (Strictly protected fauna species)
III : Appendix III (Protected fauna species)

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