The Tian Shan, also known as the Tengri Tagh or Tengir-Too, meaning the Mountains of Heaven or the Heavenly Mountain, is a large system of mountain ranges located in Central Asia. The highest peak in the Tian Shan is Jengish Chokusu, at 7,439 metres (24,406 ft) high. Its lowest point is the Turpan Depression, which is 154 m (505 ft) below sea level.
The Alay or Alai Range is a mountain range that extends from the Tien Shan mountain range in Kyrgyzstan west into Tajikistan. It is part of the Pamir-Alay mountain system. The range runs approximately east to west. Its highest summit is Pik Tandykul, reaching 5544 m. It forms the southern border of the Fergana Valley, and in the south it falls steeply to the Alay Valley. The southern slopes of the range drain into the Kyzylsuu or Vakhsh River, a tributary of the Amu Darya. The streams that drain the northern slopes of the range are tributaries of the Syr Darya, and empty into the Fergana Valley to the north of the range. Pik Skobeleva, 5,051 metres (16,572 ft), is also a well-known summit. Roads from Erkeshtam to Osh pass through these mountains.
The Trans-Alay Range is the northernmost range of the Pamir Mountain System.
Alatau or Ala-Too is a generic name for a number of mountain ranges in Central Asia, characterized by interleaving areas of vegetation, scattered rocks and snows.
The Mountains of Central Asia are a biodiversity hot spot designated by Conservation International which covers several montane and alpine ecoregions of Central Asia, including those of the Pamir and Tian Shan ranges, and extending across portions of Afghanistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and the Karakoram range in China, Pakistan and India.
Parnassius apollonius is a member of the snow Apollo genus Parnassius of the swallowtail family, Papilionidae. It is found in central and south Kazakhstan, the south Altai, Saur, Tarbagatai, Dzhungarsky Alatau, Tian-Shan, Ghissar-Darvaz, the Pamirs-Alai and west China.
Plebejus is a genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae. Its species are found in the Palearctic and Nearctic realms.
Arctia is a genus of tiger moths in the family Erebidae. Therein, it belongs to the subtribe Arctiina in the tribe Arctiini in the subfamily Arctiinae. Species are well distributed throughout North America, Palearctic, India, and Sri Lanka.
Athamanthia is an Eastern Palearctic genus of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. Athamanthia is differentiated from Lycaena by characters of the male genitalia.
Muschampia is a Palearctic genus of spread-winged skippers in the family Hesperiidae.
Goniographa gyulaipeteri is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is widely distributed in the western Tien-Shan Mountains, in the Hissar and Alai Mountains, in the western Pamirs and also in north-eastern Afghanistan (Badakhshan).
Melitaea arduinna, or Freyer's fritillary, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found from south-eastern Europe across Asia Minor to central Asia and the Altai. The habitat consists of steppe-clad slopes.
Arctia rueckbeili is a moth of the family Erebidae first described by Rudolf Püngeler in 1901. It is found in Tien Shan, Alai and Turkestan mountains in Central Asia within Kyrghyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Chinese province of Xinjiang at altitudes 1300–3500 m. The moth flies June to July.
Chazara heydenreichi is a butterfly species belonging to the family Nymphalidae. It can be found from Hindu Kush and the W. Himalaya across Middle Asia and Kazakhstan to the S. Altai.
Arctia tancrei is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Staudinger in 1887. It is found in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrghyzstan and China.
Chelis erschoffii is a moth in the family Erebidae. It was described by Sergei Alphéraky in 1882. It is found in Central Asia.
Chelis ferghana is a moth in the family Erebidae. It was described by Otto Staudinger in 1887. It is found in Central Asia, Afghanistan and possibly Nepal.
Chelis gratiosa is a moth in the family Erebidae. It was described by Grigory Grum-Grshimailo in 1890. It is found in the western Tien Shan, the Pamir-Alay, Kyrgyzstan, Turkestan, Hissar, Trans-Alai, the Pamir Mountains, Pakistan, Kashmir and western China.
Polygonia interposita is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found from Ghissar to the Altai Mountains, north-western China, the Himalayas and Mongolia. The habitat consists of gorges and slopes up to 2,500 meters above sea level.
Agriades pheretiades, the Tien Shan blue, is a Palearctic butterfly of the family Lycaenidae.
