Papilio alexanor
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Papilio alexanor |
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| ( Esper , 1800) |
Papilio alexanor , also known by the English name Southern Swallowtail ( "Southern dovetail") and under the German name "Alexanor dovetail", is a butterfly from the family of the swallowtail butterfly (Papilionidae).
features
butterfly
The moths reach a wingspan of 70 to 80 millimeters. The forewings have a black basic color, but - unlike the swallowtail (Papilio machaon) - are characterized by a yellow area in the basal region and in the disk region , in which three broad black stripes cut at regular intervals from the front edge. There is a yellow band between the submarginal region and the post-disk region from the apex to the inner edge. The hind wings have a black basic color, but are characterized by a yellow area in the basal region and disk region. In the middle of this crosses a vertical brown stripe from the front edge to the inner edge, which meets with a black stripe that runs from the body along the inner edge. In the yellow area, next to the existing strip, there is a much shorter one in the middle. In the submarginal region there are several yellow arc spots that may merge into a band. Between these spots and the yellow area, the wing is dusted with countless blue scales . In the anal corner there is a black eye, which is covered with orange, yellow and blue colors. The outer edge is strongly serrated and has a tail which is partly yellow.
The underside of the forewings is very similar to the top. All characteristics are now to be found increasingly. The middle black stripe and the area between the two yellow areas are now dusted with blue scales. The underside of the hind wings also closely resembles the upper side. Here, too, all the features can be found more strongly and the yellow is somewhat darker. The two sexes do not differ in the wing drawings and the body, which is black and yellow longitudinally striped. The tips of the antennae are orange.
Similar species
- Swallowtail ( Papilio machaon )
- Sail butterfly ( Iphiclides podalirius )
- Iphiclides feisthamelii
Way of life
Papilio alexanor is found mainly in poor meadows , but always as a loner. The caterpillar feeds exclusively on dill ( Anethum graveolens ), fennel ( Foeniculum vulgare ), caraway ( Carum carvi ), parsley ( Petroselinum crispum ) and wild carrot ( Daucus carota ). The moths fly from mid-June to August.
Distribution and occurrence
Papilio alexanor is native to southern Europe and the countries around the Black Sea . It can be found in southern France , southern Italy , Sicily , Albania , Greece , Turkey , Syria , Lebanon , Israel , Jordan , Iraq , Iran , West Pakistan and Afghanistan .
Papilio alexanor is extremely rare in West Pakistan and is not often found in the west of its range. In the countries of the former Yugoslavia it is already extinct, in the other Balkan countries and in Italy it is considered endangered. In Greece it is protected by law.
Systematics
Of Papilio alexanor six are subspecies known:
- Papilio alexanor destelensis ( Nel & Chauliac , 1983)
- Papilio alexanor radighierii ( Sala & Bollino , 1991)
- Papilio alexanor orientalis ( Romanov , 1884)
- Papilio alexanor hazarajatica ( Wyatt , 1961)
- Papilio alexanor judeus ( Staudinger , 1893)
- Papilio alexanor voldemar ( Kreuzberg , 1989)
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f butterflycorner.net: Papilio alexanor (accessed April 30, 2009)
- ↑ a b c Collins, N. Mark and Morris, Michael G. and International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources: Threatened swallowtail butterflies of the world: the IUCN red data book. IUCN, 1985, ISBN 2880326036 , p. 93.
- ^ Figuier, Louis: The Insect World: Being a Popular Account of the Orders of Insects; Together with a Description of the Habits and Economy of Some of the Most Interesting Species. READ BOOKS, 2007, ISBN 1-4086-2437-0 , p. 174.
literature
- N. Mark Collins, Michael G. Morris, and International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources: Threatened swallowtail butterflies of the world: the IUCN red data book. IUCN, 1985, ISBN 2880326036 , 401 pages.
- Louis Figuier: The Insect World: Being a Popular Account of the Orders of Insects; Together with a Description of the Habits and Economy of Some of the Most Interesting Species. READ BOOKS, 2007, ISBN 1-4086-2437-0 , 548 pages.
