Butterflies of
Europe
Apollo
Parnassius apollo
LINNAEUS, 1758
Family - PAPILIONIDAE
subfamily -
PARNASSIINAE
Tribe -
Parnassius apollo alpherakyi, Monts
Katunskij, Altai
© O. Kosterin
Introduction
The genus
Parnassius, known commonly as Apollos, comprises of
54 species. Three of these are endemic to North America, a further 2 are found
both in North America and the Palaearctic, and the remainder are distributed
variously across Europe and temperate Asia.
Parnassius are
instantly recognisable as a genus, having rounded translucent whitish wings that
in most species are adorned with prominent white-centred red ocelli. Unlike most
other Papilionidae they have short antennae with non-recurved tips.
Many
Parnassius species are exceedingly rare and have a
very localised distribution, but P. apollo is very
widespread, being found Spain to Siberia.
Habitats
This species
breeds on rocky mountainsides and limestone pavements, typically choosing sites
where there are flat boulders on which they can bask, and crevices or hollows in
which they can hide during bad weather. The butterflies are generally found at
altitudes between about 600-2800m, although they occur at lower altitudes in
Provence and in Spain.
Lifecycle
The larval foodplants include Sedum,
Sempervivum and
Hylotelephium.
Adult behaviour
Males sometimes imbibe mineralised moisture from damp ground, but
in common with the females are more often seen in flight, or when
nectaring at flowers, of which favourites include
Sedum, and various thistles and
knapweeds.
The butterflies have a rapid flight, soaring effortlessly across
mountainsides. Their robust and stiff wings make a distinct
flapping noise as they fly past. In warm sunny conditions they fly
actively from flower to flower, but will sometimes remain on a
single flower-head for several minutes at a time. In cooler
weather they often bask on lichen-encrusted rocks and boulders, on
which they can maintain a very strong grip, even in very windy
conditions.
Copulation takes place at about midday, and lasts for about 2
hours, or longer if weather conditions are cooler. During
copulation the females develop a large chitinous structure called
a sphragis on their abdomens, which seals the genital opening and
prevents other males from mating with them.
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