Parnassius epaphus
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 Photograph of a syntype specimen from the Ulster Museum
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| Parnassius epaphus Oberthür, 1879 |
Common Red Apollo Parnassius epaphus is a high altitude butterfly which is found in India. It is a member of the Snow Apollo genus Parnassius of the Swallowtail (Papilionidae) family. This handsome butterfly is found from 9000 to 13,000 ft from Chitral to Sikkim and is Not Rare.
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[edit] Description
- For terms used in the description see glossary of Lepidopteran terms
Superficially this form closely resembles Parnassius jacquemontii, but besides the structural differences of the anal pouch in the fertilized female, in markings it differs as follows:
Male Upperside, fore wing: the crimson black-encircled spots reduced to a minute subcostal dot in the black mark beyond the cell; the subhyaline terminal margin much narrower, with dentate white spots in the interspaces along the actual margin; cilia white, markedly alternated with black at the apices of the veins. Hind wing: the dusky black along the dorsal margin comparatively much broader, its inner border more irregular, deeply bi-emarginate, the crimson centre to the black mark above the tornal angle entirely absent. In no specimens that I have seen are the crimson spots centred with white. Underside: with the same glazed appearance as in jacquemontii; markings as on the upperside, but on the fore wing the white dentate spots in the terminal row are larger, which give to the wing the appearance of having a subterminal as well as a post-discal transverse series of dusky-black lunules. On the hind wing the row of basal and the obliquely-placed pre-tornal spots are as in jacquemontii but of a duller shade, while as in that form all the crimson spots are broadly centred with white. Antennae differ from those of jacquemonti as they are conspicuously ringed with white. Female differs from the male in the dusky black markings on the upperside that are broader, especially the postdiscal series on the fore wing: this generally forms a diffuse band and so often restricts the lunules of the white ground-colour beyond it, blending as it does diffusely with the subhyaline terminal margin. Anal pouch of fertilized female differs conspicuously from that of jacquemontii female in the complete absence of the posterior high keel or carina.[1]
[edit] Range
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tadzikistan, Northern India (Jammu & Kashmir and Sikkim), Nepal, Bhutan and China. Fairly broadly distributed.
[edit] Status
It is broadly distributed across Asia and not known to be threatened. The subspecies P. e. hillensis is protected by law in India.[2]
[edit] Cited references
- ^ Bingham, C. T. 1907. Fauna of British India. Butterflies. Volume 2
- ^ Collins, N.M., Morris, M.G. (1985) Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World. IUCN. ISBN 978-2-88032-603-6
[edit] Other references
- Evans, W.H., (1932) The Identification of Indian Butterflies (2nd Ed), Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India
- Sakai S., Inaoka S., Toshiaki A., Yamaguchi S., Watanabe Y., (2002) The Parnassiology. The Parnassius Butterflies, A Study in Evolution, Kodansha, Japan.
- Weiss J.-C., (2005) Parnassiinae of the World - Part 4, Canterbury: Hillside Books, UK.
