Butterflies of
Europe
Clouded Apollo
Parnassius
mnemosyne
LINNAEUS, 1758
Family -
PAPILIONIDAE
subfamily -
PARNASSIINAE
Tribe -
subtribe -
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Clouded Apollo Parnassius
mnemosyne Kercaszomor, Hungary
© Peter Bruce-Jones |
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.
P. mnemosyne is one of the few exceptions which
lack the red ocelli.
Many
Parnassius species are extremely rare and have a
very localised distribution, but mnemosyne is very
widespread, being found Spain to central Asia.
Clouded Apollo Parnassius
mnemosyne Bükk plateau, Hungary
© Peter Bruce-Jones
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 generally seem to prefer
damper habitats than apollo.
They are generally found at
altitudes between about 800-2500m.
Lifecycle
The larval
foodplant is Corydalis solida.
Adult behaviour
In warm sunny conditions the butterflies fly
actively from flower to flower, visiting mostly thistles and
knapweeds. In cooler
weather they often bask on lichen-encrusted rocks and boulders, or
among grasses, just above ground level.
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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