Oriental Meadow Brown
CR

Oriental Meadow Brown

Hyponephele lupinus

Unknown

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyponephele_lupina

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

The Oriental Meadow Brown faces severe population declines due to widespread habitat loss from agricultural intensification and urban development across its range. Climate change is altering the grassland ecosystems this species depends on, while overgrazing by livestock degrades the quality of remaining meadow habitats essential for breeding and larval development.

Threat summary

Habitat

Natural grasslands, meadows, and steppe environments with diverse native grass species, typically at elevations between 500-2000m. The species requires areas with a mix of short and tall grasses that support its larval host plants and provide nectar sources for adults.

Other threatened species in Nymphalidae

Scarce FritillaryCR

Scarce Fritillary

Euphydryas maturna

Unknown
EN

Altopedaliodes albonotata

Unknown
Two-tailed PashaVU

Two-tailed Pasha

Charaxes jasius

Unknown
False GraylingVU

False Grayling

Arethusana arethusa

Unknown

Threatened in Afghanistan

Calidris ferrugineaVU

Calidris ferruginea

Declining
small mallowVU

small mallow

Malva pusilla

Unknown
Tiger SawgillCR

Tiger Sawgill

Lentinus tigrinus

Unknown
EN

Malus komarovii

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is Oriental Meadow Brown classified as Critically Endangered?
Oriental Meadow Brown is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. The Oriental Meadow Brown faces severe population declines due to widespread habitat loss from agricultural intensification and urban development across its range. Climate change is altering the grassland ecosystems this species depends on, while overgrazing by livestock degrades the quality of remaining meadow habitats essential for breeding and larval development.
Where does Oriental Meadow Brown live?
Oriental Meadow Brown occurs in Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Bosnia & Herzegovina (plus 33 other countries). Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Oriental Meadow Brown?
The main threats to Oriental Meadow Brown are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

Get weekly conservation intelligence

One short digest a week of the most striking species and country data we ship, plus breaking conservation news paired with our database where it matters.

Free, no spam. One-click unsubscribe in every email.