Papilio polyxenes
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| ( Fabricius , 1775) |
Papilio polyxenes , also known by the English names "Black swallowtail" (" Schwarzer Schwalbenschwanz ") is a butterfly from the family of the knightly butterflies (Papilionidae).
features
butterfly
The moths reach a wingspan of 70 to 90 millimeters. The front wings have a black basic color. In the submarginal region there is a series of small yellow dots from the apex to the inner edge. Another row of yellow spots runs about a centimeter next to it, which become larger and larger towards the inner edge. The hind wings are black and have a series of yellow arc spots in the submarginal region, which are somewhat larger in comparison to the small dots on the forewings. In the discal region there are a number of other yellow and slightly larger spots. In the anal angle there is a yellow-red eye, which is black in the center. Next to it, between the two rows of yellow spots, there are several blue spots that get smaller and smaller towards the front edge. The toothed outer edge has a tail extension.
The underside of the fore wings has all the features of the upper side in the same place. The veins are more prominent here because the black silk matt is. However, light spots are white instead of yellow. The larger forewing spots are increasingly orange in color towards the inner edge. The underside of the hind wings has all the features of the upper side in the same place. The large hind wing spots of the series are mostly filled with orange, as are the arc spots. However, here the proportion of orange decreases towards the inner edge.
In contrast to the males, all yellow or white points in the rows are significantly smaller in the females. However, the bruises are bigger.
The body of Papilio polyxenes is black and has two rows of yellow dots on each side.
In its northern range the butterfly mimics Battus philenor . When the larvae are raised in low light, the moth's yellow bands are reduced.
Egg, caterpillar and pupa
The eggs are cream-colored and, in the course of their development, turn brownish at their tips and develop an equally colored ring.
The pupa is light brown with a lateral and a dorsal band that changes color from brown / light brown to black. Their coloration varies depending on the light conditions in the caterpillar stage. In low light they tend to be brownish in low light greenish. They are mainly found on thick trunks or rocks about one meter above the ground. At this stage the species overwinters.
The caterpillars are green and have several black horizontal stripes. Several yellow dots are arranged on these horizontal stripes. Their color ranges from yellow-green to white-green and blue-green. The width of the black horizontal stripes and their yellow dots can vary greatly.
Subspecies
- Papilio polyxenes americus ( Kollar , 1849)
- Papilio polyxenes asterius ( Stoll , 1782) - West Arizona and eastwards to the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba , the orange spots are stronger orange here
- Papilio polyxenes coloro ( Wright , 1905) - in the deserts of Arizona and central and southwest Utah westward to southern California to east of the South Coast Range . The further west, the more yellow the subspecies is.
- Papilio polyxenes gerardi ( Bollino & Vitale , 2002)
- Papilio polyxenes kahli ( Chermock , 1937) - Southeast Saskatchewan and South Manitoba to Winnipeg and central Manitoba, the black eye spots are not in the middle and often merge with the edge. The black line between the orange and blue areas is narrow or absent.
- Papilio polyxenes sadalus ( Lucas , 1892)
- Papilio polyxenes stabilis ( Rothschild & Jordan , 1906)
The variant P. polyxenes asterius pseudoamericus has a yellow body color that extends on both sides of the yellow points. It is common and very rare in Illinois , Colorado , New Mexico , west Texas , southeast Arizona, and east Mexico . Their species or subspecies status has not yet been fully clarified. This also applies to the form P. polyxenes kahli comstocki found on plants of the genus Zizia . The underside of the hind wings is more yellow here and on top the yellow band is only 1 to 1.5 cm wide and on the belly there are two yellow stripes on both sides.
distribution
Papilio polyxenes is native to large parts of North America and the northwest of South America. It is not found in the northernmost areas like Alaska . To the south, its distribution area extends over Mexico to Peru . Open grasslands, swamps, marshland and wet meadows are inhabited, but also forests and mountain ranges in Canada as well as human settlement areas and semi-deserts up to subtropical areas in South America.
Way of life
In the northern regions one or two generations are trained per year, in the southern regions up to three generations. The flight times are from April to October. In Manitoba and Saskatchewan, a generation is trained from May to June. In its southern range, the flight time is between June and August while it flies all year round in Florida and the Mojave Desert and even further south. It flies in full sun in search of flowers, but also perches in mud puddles to take in minerals. Life expectancy in the south of their range is several months. Males keep an eye out for females by sitting in elevated places and flying patrols around their territory.
The eggs are laid one at a time on leaves. When the females are two to four days old, they lay between 36 and 53 eggs per day for a total of 206 to 435 eggs.
The caterpillar feeds exclusively on umbellifers .
status
It is common and widespread.
Web links
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Elizabeth Balmer: Butterflies: Recognize and determine. Parragon Books Ltd., 2007, ISBN 9781407512037 , p. 41.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i butterfliesandmoths.org: Papilio polyxenes (accessed April 14, 2009)
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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. 171/174.
- ↑ a b c d Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes). In: nearctia.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2011 ; Retrieved December 2, 2013 .
literature
- Arnett, Ross H .: American insects: a handbook of the insects of America north of Mexico. CRC Press, 2000 ISBN 0-8493-0212-9 , 1003 pages.
- Hill, Dennis S .: Agricultural insect pests of temperate regions and their control. CUP Archive, 1987 ISBN 0-521-24013-1 , 659 pages.