Alpenapollo

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High Alps Apollo
High alpine apollo (Parnassius phoebus)

High alpine apollo ( Parnassius phoebus )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Knight Butterfly (Papilionidae)
Subfamily : Parnassiinae
Genre : Parnassius
Type : High Alps Apollo
Scientific name
Parnassius phoebus
( Fabricius , 1793)

The high alpine apollo , or alpine apollo ( Parnassius phoebus ), also alpine apollo butterfly or high alpine apollo butterfly , is a butterfly (day butterfly ) from the family of knight butterfly (Papilionidae). Previously, a distinction was made between two subspecies, of which, however, according to new findings, the Asian and American populations are considered to be separate species and thus the earlier species Parnassius phoebus was divided into Parnassius phoebus and Parnassius sacerdos . If this approach is correct, the high alpine Apollo found in the Alps would have to bear the scientific name Parnassius sacerdos Stichel, 1906.

features

The moths reach a span of 50 to 60 millimeters. They are very similar to the Red Apollo ( Parnassius apollo ), but are usually somewhat smaller and have a more yellowish-white instead of a white basic wing color. A definite distinguishing feature are the clearly black and white ringed antennae , which are dark in the similar species or have only an indistinct ringing. The high alpine Apollo also has several black, also two red, black-edged spots on the forewings, which are very rarely observed in the red Apollo. The hind wings, like those of the similar species, have two red eye-spots and more or less pronounced dark markings. The females have a more contrasty and stronger black coloration than the males.

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The caterpillars are up to 48 millimeters long and also look very similar to those of the Red Apollo. Their basic body color is black, but instead of orange, they have lemon-yellow spots on the sides. The caterpillars of the Black Apollo ( Parnassius mnemosyne ) look more similar to them with yellow-orange side spots, but are absent in the habitats of the High Alpine Apollo.

Similar species

Occurrence

The high alpine Apollo is endemic to the European Alps and occurs more frequently in them, especially in the central Alps , but the species is very rare in Germany. They are absent in the northern and southern Limestone Alps . They are found at altitudes between 1,600 and 2,800 meters, especially between 1,800 and 2,200 meters. According to the preferences of its host plant, the high alpine Apollo can be found mainly in damp and swampy places, in depressions ( snow valleys ), on spring meadows and in the vicinity of mountain streams.

Way of life

Flight and caterpillar times

One generation of the high alpine Apollo flies from late June to late August.

Food of the caterpillars

The caterpillars feed mainly on Fettenhennen saxifrage ( Saxifraga aizoides ) and probably also from other saxifrage species . They are also said to feed on house lice ( Sempervivum ). The subspecies Parnassius phoebus styriacus (Fruhstorfer, 1851), which occurs in the Austrian Alps and which was previously regarded by some authors as a separate species, has rose root ( Rhodiola rosea ) as a food plant .

development

The females lay their eggs near the host plants on moss or dead plants, or on the ground or on stones. The eggs are seldom laid directly on the leaves of the forage plants. The overwintering usually takes place as young caterpillars unhatched in the egg, they only hatch after the snow has melted. Occasionally, however, the caterpillars hatch before wintering. Pupation takes place in a white, dense but thin cocoon between moss, dead leaves or rubble near the food plant.

Hazard and protection

  • Red list FRG: 1 (threatened with extinction).

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Emil Hoffmann, Parnassius styriacus Fruhst. - a separate kind , journal of the Vienna Entomological Society, 37th year (PDF; 1.2 MB)
  2. ↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany . Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 1998, ISBN 3-89624-110-9 .

literature

  • Heiko Bellmann : The new Kosmos butterfly guide, butterflies, caterpillars and forage plants . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-440-09330-1 .
  • Günter Ebert (Hrsg.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg Volume 1, Tagfalter I (Knight butterflies (Papilionidae), Weißlinge (Pieridae), Edelfalter (Nymphalidae)), Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1993. ISBN 3-8001-3451-9
  • CL Houses: An annotated checklist of the species of the Parnassiinae (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae). Tijdschrift voor Entomologie, 1993, 136: 137-146
  • U. Nardelli: Notes on the breeding of Parnassius species as well as report on a breeding of Parnassius phoebus sternitzkii (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae). News of the Entomological Society Apollo., 1991, NF 12 (2): 141–152
  • JH Shepard, TR Manley: A species revision of the Parnassius phoebus complex in North America (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae). In: TC Emmel (Ed.): Systematics of Western North American Butterflies. Mariposa Press, 1998
  • Tom Tolman, Richard Lewington: The butterflies of Europe and Northwest Africa . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-440-07573-7 .
  • Hans-Josef Weidemann: Butterflies: observe, determine . Naturbuch-Verlag, Augsburg 1995, ISBN 3-89440-115-X .

Web links

Commons : Alpenapollo  - album with pictures, videos and audio files