Papilio pilumnus
| Papilio pilumnus | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Papilio pilumnus | ||||||||||||
| Boisduval , 1836 |
Papilio Pilumnus , also known by the English name Three-tailed Swallowtail ( "Dreischwänziger dovetail") is a butterfly from the family of the swallowtail butterfly (Papilionidae).
features
butterfly
The moths reach a wingspan of 80 to 100 millimeters. The front wings are brown-black to black. In the submarginal region , from the apex to the inner edge, there is a series of yellow, rectangular spots. The disk region and the basal region are characterized by a yellow area up to the edge, through which four wide, black stripes cross at regular intervals from the front edge. The hind wings are also black and, like the fore wings, have a large yellow area. However, this now only encloses the basal region and half of the disk region. Two black stripes run through this area from the front edge, which in contrast to those of the front wings are thinner, but are a continuation of the two longest black stripes on the front wing. In the yellow area in the disk region, still in the cell, there is a black spot. The edge of the yellow area is increasingly colored red towards the inner edge. Directly on the outer edge there is a row of yellow spots, which are increasingly colored red towards the anal angle. Between this row and the yellow area there are several blue-green spots, which steadily fade towards the front edge. The outer edge is serrated so strongly that Papilio pilumnus has almost three tail processes.
The underside of the forewings is very similar to the upper side, but the yellow is a little paler. The underside of the rear wings also has all the features of the upper side, which are to be found increasingly. The yellow is also a little paler here.
There are no gender differences in the wing pattern, both have the same wing markings and the same body, which is black and has yellow stripes on the underside.
Egg, caterpillar and pupa
The eggs are green. The caterpillars are also colored green, have a yellow horizontal stripe at the transition from the head to the actual body and have brown eyes with black spots on the rear part of the thorax . The sideline is yellow with a brown zone underneath. The head is brown. The doll is light green or pink in color and has elongated side projections; also two purple protrusions on the head and one purple protrusion on the thorax.
Similar species
Distribution and occurrence
The distribution area of Papilio pilumnus extends from the south of the USA (southern Texas ) over Mexico to Guatemala . He lives in tropical forests.
Way of life
Papilio pilumnus flies in several generations in the tropical regions almost all year round; in Mexico from March to October. The moths suck nutrients from puddles and damp places. The food plants of the caterpillars are leaves of the laurel family (Lauraceae), e.g. B. of the genus Litsea .
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c butterflycorner.net: Papilio pilumnus (accessed on March 13, 2009)
- ↑ Scott, James A.: The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California 1986, ISBN 0-8047-1205-0 , p. 183
- ↑ Scott, James A.: The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California 1986, ISBN 0-8047-1205-0 , p. 182
literature
- Scott, James A .: The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California 1986, ISBN 0-8047-1205-0 , 632 pages.
- 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, 401 pages, ISBN 2880326036