Papilio palamedes
| Papilio palamedes | ||||||||||||
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Papilio palamedes |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Papilio palamedes | ||||||||||||
| Drury , 1773 |
Papilio palamedes is a butterfly in the family of the knightly butterflies (Papilionidae).
features
The moths reach a wingspan of 114 to 130 millimeters. The upper sides of the wings have a basic black color. The forewings have three rows of yellow spots of different sizes on the outer edge. The furthest inward row continues on the hind wings as a faded, fused row of spots. Yellow arc spots run on the outer edge of the hind wings. The tails on the hind wings have two fine yellow lines. On the inner edge, the yellow row of spots is bordered by a dark eye spot that is slightly blue and red. The underside of the forewings does not differ from the upper side, with the exception that an additional yellow spot can be seen further inwards, near the wing leading edge. The underside of the hind wings is very conspicuous and unmistakably colored. A row of orange-red, yellow-edged arc spots runs in the center and on the outer edge. The inner row is bordered by an additional blue spot on the outside of each sheet spot. The thin lines on the tails are very weak. The body of the butterflies is black and yellow striped lengthways.
Occurrence
The species occurs from Panama via Mexico and the south and east coast of the United States . It is very rarely found as far as southern New Jersey . It lives in damp forests and near rivers and wetlands.
Way of life
The caterpillars feed on the laurel family (Lauraceae), especially Persea borbonia . The adults are migrant butterflies and suck nectar from various plants such as thistles , azaleas and cinnamon trees ( clethra ). They fly in two generations from March to December, and a partial third generation is also developing in the southern United States.
swell
literature
- James A. Scott: The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California 1986, ISBN 0-8047-1205-0 , 632 pages.
Online sources
- Butterflies and Moths of North America (English)
