Common Schiller Butterfly

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Common Schiller Butterfly
Small Common Schiller Butterfly (Apatura ilia), male

Small Common Schiller Butterfly ( Apatura ilia ), male

Systematics
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Subordination : Glossata
Superfamily : Papilionoidea
Family : Noble butterfly (Nymphalidae)
Subfamily : Common Schiller Butterfly
Scientific name
Apaturinae
Boisduval , 1840

The Schiller butterflies (Apaturinae) are a subfamily in the family of the noble butterflies (Nymphalidae) with about 100 species, almost worldwide distribution and focus in tropical Asia.

description

The Schiller butterflies show a clear sexual dimorphism and get their name from the purple, blue or green iridescent structural colors on the upper side of the wing, which especially the males of many species have. The national butterfly of Japan, Sasakia charonda , and the males of the small ( Apatura ilia ) and large blue butterfly ( Apatura iris ) in Europe are known. Some species have short tails, such as Asterocampa clyton .

The butterflies are medium-sized, with strong, culled antennae, protruding, pointed palps , strong thorax and slender abdomen. In many species, the teat is not pigmented black-brown, but shimmering through, light green in life, later yellowish. The cells of all wings are mostly open, only closed in the genera Dilipa and Thaleropis . Special features are the females of Euripus nyctelius , which have a complex polymorphism and their mimicry with species of the genus Euploea from the subfamily Danainae . Mimicry is also from species of the genera Hestina and Doxocopa with species from other subfamilies, such as z. B. Doxocopa laure with Adelpha iphiclus from the subfamily of the kingfishers (Limenitidinae), known.

  • Examples of mimicry

  • Euripus nyctelius f. isa

  • Euploea radamanthus radamanthus

  • Female of Doxocopa laure

  • Adelpha iphiclus

The subfamily can reference to the male genitalia of the closely related subfamilies of eyes moth (Satyrinae) and Charaxinae be distinguished. The Aedeagus is long, similar to the Charaxinae, but the Saccus, the basal part of the Valven, is extremely long and thin. It takes up most of the abdomen .

Pre-imaginal stages

Caterpillar of Rohana parisatis

The snail-shaped caterpillars usually have two head horns that are facing forwards when they are at rest and that are turned up when eating (hence the name snail caterpillars). Like the Charaxinae, they have a forked abdomen end.

The eggs are polygonal and hemispherical or spherical with many fine ribs.

distribution

The moths occur almost worldwide, but are absent in Australia and New Zealand. With the exception of the far north, they are spread across the ancient world north of the equator, hardly crossing it to the south. The focus of the genera and species is in tropical Asia. In North America the subfamily is only represented by the non-dazzling Asterocampa , in South America by Doxocopa .

Way of life

The moths live both in mountains and in the plain; they fly in the northern latitudes in midsummer and have a swimming or shooting flight in which they keep their wings spread flat and only occasionally make short, twitching strokes. The moths often suckle on excrement, carrion or rotting fruits, as the representatives of the Charaxinae do.

The eggs are usually laid individually, only with Sasakia and Asterocampa they are laid in groups.

The caterpillars often feed on the elm family (Ulmaceae) and sometimes also on the birch family (Betulaceae), willow family (Salicaceae) or beech family (Fagaceae) and the asterocampa in North America feed on the foliage of hackberry trees ( Celtis ). The species living in the higher latitudes overwinter as caterpillars.

The fall pupae hang flat on a leaf or branch.

Systematics

According to Wahlberg , the subfamily currently consists of 98 species in 20 genera, including four monotypical , i.e. genera with only one species each. The subfamily is closely related to the Charaxinae and Satyrinae, has changed rank twice and was named a tribe (Apaturidi) of the Satyrinae or own family ( Howe, 1975 ) considered. The earlier genus Doxocopa , Huebner , is now Asterocampa Röber , but today's Doxocopa corresponds to the earlier Chlorippe Boisduval

Genera and species

Asterocampa leilia
Female of Euripus consimilis
Mimathyma ambica
Female of Rohana parisatis
Male of Sasakia charonda
Timelaea albescens
Hestinalis nama

literature

  • Niels P. Kristensen : Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies. In: Maximilian Fischer (Ed.): Handbook of Zoology. 1st edition. Volume 4 - Arthropoda: Insecta, Teilband 35, de Gruyter, Berlin, New York 1998, ISBN 3-110-15704-7 , p. 289
  • Philip J. De Vries : The butterflies of Costa Rica and their natural history . Princeton University Press, 1997, ISBN 0-691-08420-3 , pp. 127 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Philip J. De Vries: The butterflies of Costa Rica and their natural history . Princeton University Press, 1997, ISBN 0-691-08420-3 , pp. 127 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Niels P. Kristensen: Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies. In: Maximilian Fischer (Ed.): Handbook of Zoology. 1st edition. Volume 4 - Arthropoda: Insecta, Teilband 35, de Gruyter, Berlin, New York 1998, ISBN 3-110-15704-7 , p. 289
  3. ↑ James A. Scott: The butterflies of North America . Stanford University Press, Stanford, California 1986, ISBN 0-8047-1205-0 , pp. 132 .
  4. ↑ a b c Hans Stichel : The palaearctic butterflies . In: Adalbert Seitz (ed.): The large butterflies of the earth . tape 1 . Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart 1909, p. 160 .
  5. ↑ James A. Scott: The butterflies of North America . Stanford University Press, Stanford, California 1986, ISBN 0-8047-1205-0 , pp. 26 .
  6. ↑ James A. Scott: The butterflies of North America . Stanford University Press, Stanford, California 1986, ISBN 0-8047-1205-0 , pp. 142 .
  7. ↑ Niklas Wahlberg: Apaturinae. (No longer available online.) In: Nymphalidae.net. Niklas Wahlberg, archived from the original on January 26, 2018 ; accessed on January 20, 2018 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nymphalidae.net
  8. ^ Hans Fruhstorfer : The American Rhopalocera . In: Adalbert Seitz (Ed.): The Macrolepidoptera of The World . tape 5 . Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart 1924, p. 549 .
  9. ^ Hans Fruhstorfer: The American Rhopalocera . In: Adalbert Seitz (Ed.): The Macrolepidoptera of The World . tape 5 . Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart 1924, p. 545 .

Web links

Commons : Schiller butterfly  - collection of images, videos and audio files