Battus philenor

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Battus philenor
Battus philenor

Battus philenor

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Knight Butterfly (Papilionidae)
Subfamily : Swallowtails (Papilioninae)
Genre : Battus
Type : Battus philenor
Scientific name
Battus philenor
( Linnaeus , 1771)
bottom

Battus philenor is a butterfly from the family of the knightly butterflies (Papilionidae) and the subfamily of the swallowtails (Papilioninae).

features

butterfly

The moths reach a wingspan of 70 to 130 millimeters. The fore wings are broad and pointed. They have a dull black or dark brown base color on the upper side and have small yellowish or whitish spots on the outer edge. The hind wings are provided with slight notches and short pointed tail processes. Males shimmer bluish and show cream-colored dots. The females are more inconspicuously colored. They completely lack the blue iridescence of the males on the top. The underside of the forewings is gray, that of the hind wings is conspicuously blue in the outer area and provided with seven orange-red spots running in a row with a black border. A few bright spots stand out along the black body.

egg

The eggs are reddish-brown or orange and spherical. They are deposited by the female in piles of up to 20 pieces on the underside of leaves of the forage plant, which are located in very sunny places.

Caterpillar

The caterpillars are usually red-brown or purple-brown to black-brown in color and have two rows of red spots on their backs. Short, dark, thread-like or wart-like bumps are distributed over the entire body. These are elongated like a tentacle to the right and left of the head . The color of the caterpillar and pupa is temperature-dependent; the warmer it is during the development period, the more caterpillars and pupae change color from blackish or brownish to reddish.

Doll

The doll can be recognized by its strongly curved shape, a very wide central part, a pointed hump behind the head and two small horns on the head.

  • Caterpillar

  • Girdle doll

Behavior and way of life

The Battus philenor moths fly in several generations from spring to autumn. You visit the flowers of various plants to take in nectar, e.g. B. thistle , bergamot , lilac , adder head , azaleas , flameae , cardiards , common night viola , green rose , petunias , verbena , lupins , thistle , horse chestnut and eriodictyon . The type is similar to the honey bee able certain flowers by their color and their wealth of nectar to detect. The moths sometimes sit on the ground and take in liquid and minerals in damp places on the earth. Young caterpillars live gregariously, but do not form crazy nests, older ones live individually. Due to the main food plants of the caterpillars to toxic Osterluzeigewächsen count (Aristolochiaceae), even caterpillars to predators are toxic. Pupae and moths are also poisonous and are therefore avoided by predators. This fact is borne out by other, similar species, e.g. B. used by Papilio glaucus , Papilio troilus , Papilio polyxenes , Papilio joanae , Limenitis arthemis astyanax and Speyeria diana in the form of a mimicry . Sometimes the caterpillars feed on the leaves and fruits of wind plants (Convolvulaceae) or Knöterichgewächsen (Polygonaceae). The last generation pupae overwinter.

Distribution and occurrence

Distribution map

The species is primarily found in the southern states of the USA , but migrates over almost all of North America , from southern Canada to Central America . Guatemala forms the southernmost distribution limit of the species. The more southerly the distribution area and the warmer the climate, the more frequently it is to be found.

Battus philenor prefers to settle in open forest landscapes, but is also at home in meadows, on river banks, on roadsides as well as in parks and other cultural landscapes. In the east of the distribution area the species inhabits mountain forests, in the west deserts.

Danger

The species is classified as not endangered. In its northernmost area of ​​distribution on the US-Canadian border in the US state of Michigan , it is considered to be worthy of protection.

Subspecies

In addition to the nominate form Battus philenor philenor (Linné, 1771), the following subspecies are distinguished:

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Butterflies and Moth of North America , accessed August 26, 2013
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g James A. Scott: The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1986, ISBN 0-8047-2013-4 , pp. 185/186
  3. ↑ a b c Animal Diversity Web , English, accessed on August 26, 2013
  4. ↑ Distribution , English, accessed on August 26, 2013
  5. ^ Photos from Butterflies of America , accessed August 26, 2013

literature

  • James A. Scott: The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1986, ISBN 0-8047-2013-4 , pp. 185/186
  • Elizabeth Balmer: Butterflies: Recognizing and Identifying. Parragon Books Ltd., 2007, ISBN 9781407512037 , p. 32

Web links

Commons : Battus philenor  - collection of images, videos and audio files