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Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Sesostris
Cattle-heart
Parides sesostris
CRAMER, 1779
Family - PAPILIONIDAE
subfamily -
PAPILIONINAE
Tribe - TROIDINI
subtribe - TROIDINA
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
Parides sesostris,
male, Rio Madre de Dios, Peru
Introduction
Parides,
and the related genera Battus
and Euryades
are not true Swallowtails, but are members of the Troidini, the same tribe to
which the giant Ornithoptera
Birdwings of Papua New Guinea belong.
There are
34
members of the genus Parides,
all of which are confined to tropical and sub-tropical areas of Central and
South America. They are characterised by having elongated
blackish forewings, marked on the males of most species with brilliant patches
of turquoise or lime green, and on the females with cream. The hindwings in most
species are marked with bright pink patches, and are
generally rounded and without tails, but with a scalloped outer margin.
There
are exceptions to these general rules, e.g.
Parides hahneli which has a series of
broad transparent bands across the forewings, and long tails on the hindwings.
Another exception is Parides quadratus
which has black forewings and large golden patches on the hindwings, and
is very reminiscent of the Troides
Birdwings of tropical Asia.
Parides
sesostris
is a common species found from Mexico to Bolivia.
Habitats
This species occurs primarily in primary rainforest, at altitudes between sea
level and about 1200m. There are small populations on the western slopes of the
Andes, but it is much more frequent on the eastern slopes and in the Amazon
basin.
Parides sesostris,
Rio Alto Madre de Dios, Peru
Lifecycle
The eggs are globular,
and laid singly on the leaves of young Aristolochia
plants.
The
caterpillar when fully grown is mottled in dull ochreous with blackish spotting.
The tubercles are dark reddish brown, except those on segments 8 and 11, which
are white.
The
pupa is bright lime green, flushed with pale yellow on the wing cases.
Adult behaviour
The butterflies are usually
encountered along forest edges, and where light gaps occur at the
intersections of trails. Both sexes visit flowers on sunny
mornings, and males occasionally mud-puddle on riverbanks, but
most sightings are of males in flight or basking on foliage.
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