Papilio ulysses
| Ulysses butterfly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Male | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Papilionidae |
| Genus: | Papilio |
| Species: | P. ulysses |
| Binomial name | |
| Papilio ulysses Linnaeus, 1758 | |
| Subspecies | |
| |
The Ulysses butterfly (Papilio ulysses), also known as the Blue Mountain Butterfly or the Blue Mountain Swallowtail, is a large swallowtail butterfly of Australasia. It has a wingspan of up to 105 mm.[1]
This butterfly is used as an emblem for Queensland tourism.
Etymology
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Ulysses is the Roman name for the Greek hero, Odysseus, a character in ancient Greek literature, the central character of Homer's Odyssey.
Distribution
The Ulysses butterfly inhabits a portion of northeastern Australia (eastern Queensland) and is also found in other places alike; New Guinea, the Moluccas, Bismarck Archipelago and northwestern Solomon Islands. New Caledonia is instead inhabited by the similar relative, Papilio montrouzieri.
Description
The Ulysses butterfly typically has a wingspan of about 14 cm (5.5 in), but depending on subspecies has some variations in size. The upperside of the wings are an iridescent electric blue; the underside is a more subdued black and brown. The colours are produced by the microscopic structure of the scales, a phenomenon called structural coloration.[2]
The female of the species is different from the male in that she has little crescents of blue in the back, upside sections of her hind wings, where there is only black for males. When the butterfly is perched the intense blue of its wings is hidden by the plainer brown under side of its wings, helping it to blend in with its surroundings. When in flight, the butterfly can be seen hundreds of metres away as sudden bright blue flashes. Males are strongly attracted to the colour blue, including blue objects which are sometimes mistaken for females.
Diet and Conservation
Conservation
The Ulysses butterfly inhabits tropical rainforest areas and suburban gardens. The Australian government requires breeders to obtain permits, although the species is not endangered. In the past, this butterfly had been threatened but planting Pink Flowered Doughwood has increased its numbers. Reduction in the number of the Euodia trees, a tree heavily used for laying eggs and for leaves eaten by caterpillars, may threaten the survival of this butterfly. Females favour small trees up to 2 metres tall to lay their eggs.
Diet
The larval food plants of this butterfly include kerosene wood, a variety of Citrus, and Euodia. In Australia, the Ulysses butterfly imago is known to feed from the blossoms of the Pink Flowered Doughwood, a tree with clusters of small pink flowers that extrude from its branches.[3]
See also
- Kuranda Butterfly Farm
- Cairns Birdwing
References
- ↑ Wildlife of Tropical North Queensland: Cooktown to MacKay. Queensland Museum. (2000), p. 114.
- ↑ P. Vukusic, J. R. Sambles, C. R. Lawrence, R. J. Wootton (2001) Sculpted-multilayer optical effects in two species of Papilio butterfly. Applied Optics 40:1116-1125
- ↑ "Facts About the Migration of the Ulysses Butterfly". PawNation. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
Further reading
- Erich Bauer and Thomas Frankenbach, 1998 Schmetterlinge der Erde, Butterflies of the world Part I (1), Papilionidae Papilionidae I: Papilio, Subgenus Achillides, Bhutanitis, Teinopalpus. Edited by Erich Bauer and Thomas Frankenbach. Keltern : Goecke & Evers ; Canterbury : Hillside Books ISBN 9783931374624
External links
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