Apollo common butterfly - how to preserve endangered beauty

In the dry pine forests, on wastelands and rocky mountain slopes, the common Apollo butterfly from the family of sailboats lives. It is easy to recognize by the light color of the wings and the pattern of black and red spots. The adults are large, wingspan up to 90 mm. Butterflies are active during the day, they fly all summer, feeding on nectar-bearing complex plants. The caterpillar feeds on various types of stonecrops. The local residence of the Apollo colonies led to a reduction in the number of individuals. The destruction of natural habitats brings the species closer to extinction. Apollon sailboat is listed in the European Red Book and environmental documents of individual countries.

Morphological description of the species

The Apollon Butterfly (Parnassiusapollo) belongs to the genus Parnassius of the family Sailboats. The specific name came from the name of Apollo, the beautiful god of Greek myths, the son of Zeus and the brother of Artemis. Daytime butterfly with a wingspan of 60-90 mm is the largest species of its kind. The main color of the wings is white; small transparent areas are located along the outer edge.

On the front wings of the male there are 5 rounded black spots, on the hind wings there are red ocular spots with a white center. The female is colored brighter. Young adults who have left the pupae cocoon have wings with a yellowish tint. The body of the butterflies is covered with thick hairs. The eyes are large, convex, club-like tendrils. The drawing on the wings of a butterfly of a sailboat Apollon has about 600 options. Even in one region, the distribution of spots differs in different colonies.

Information. Despite the fact that the Apollos belong to the family of sailboats, they do not have tails on the hind wings.

Habitat

The main habitat of the species is the mountains of the European part of the continent. Colonies of Parnassiusapollo are found in Norway, France, Sweden, and in the south of Scandinavia. Butterflies live in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the Caucasus, the south of the Ural Mountains, and Turkey. Parnassius Apollo occurs locally. Insects can be found in bright pine forests, by mountain rivers, in valleys on calcareous and sandy soils. In the Alps, the species lives at an altitude of up to 2200 m, in Asia it is noted at 300 m above sea level.

Lifestyle

Butterflies fly perfectly, often hover over flowers and rocky placers. They correct the flight path with the flapping of powerful wings. Active at noon, like well-lit places. Insects feed on the flowers of a bodykeeper, godson, cornflower, oregano, clover. One generation changes per year. Years of imago occur in June-August; in some regions, butterflies are active until September. Females prefer to spend time in the grass. The disturbed individuals soar, fleeing, moving over considerable distances.

Interesting fact. Red spots on the wings of the Apollo common signal to the birds about the poisonous hemolymph of the insect. When attacked, adults fall on their backs, showing a warning picture. Additionally, they scrape their paws along the wings, making a hissing sound. These actions should scare away the predator.

Breeding

Apollo males begin to search for a partner 2-3 days after appearing from the pupa. They fly at a low altitude above the slopes, looking out for the newly born females. After fertilization, the female lays eggs one at a time, placing them on various parts of the feed crop or on the soil next to the plant. Fertility is 80-100 pieces. Eggs hibernate, within which a caterpillar ready for emergence has formed.

Interesting fact. After fertilization of the female, a sphragis is formed on the lower part of her abdomen - a rigid appendage of chitin. This is a "seal" that prevents re-fertilization by another male.

Caterpillar

In April-May, a caterpillar appears. At first age, she is black, with white spots on body segments and tufts of black hair. Adult caterpillars are velvety black. Two longitudinal stripes of bright red spots pass through the body. On each segment, two blue-gray warts. It feeds in sunny weather, on cloudy days it hides in dry grass. Feed plants - all types of stonecrop: white, purple, caustic, tenacious. In the Alps they feed on young grass.

Information. The caterpillars of the Apollo sailboat have an orange iron in the form of horns, which protrudes in case of danger from behind the head. This is osmetry, with its help an unpleasant odor spreads.

A caterpillar pupates on the ground, lying in a light cocoon. The pupa is thick, brown. A few hours later it becomes covered with powdery coating. The pupal stage lasts up to two weeks.

Related view

Apollon Phoebus (Parnassiusphoebus) - a butterfly from the genus Parnassius. In color, it resembles an ordinary Apollo, but the main color of the wings is not white, but cream. The surface of the wings is partially pollinated by black scales. The outer edge of the front wings is transparent. At the base of the hind wings is a dark band. Males have two red ocular spots with a black fringing on the hind wings; females may have more spots.

The phoebe sailboat is characterized by a wingspan of 50-60 mm. For habitat, the species selects mountainous terrain, found in the Alps, the Urals, in the mountains of Kazakhstan, Siberia, the Far East, North America. The butterfly develops in one generation, settles in alpine shallow meadows, in the tundra. A sailboat climbs into the mountains at an altitude of 1800-2500 m above sea level.

Females lay their eggs on moss or soil next to the fodder plant with a pink radiola. Embryos develop before the onset of cold weather, but offspring do not leave their eggs until spring. Caterpillars grow up to 48 mm, body color black, yellow spots on the sides. Development takes 25-30 days. Pupation in a thin cocoon. Adults fly from July to August. Apollo Phoebe is gradually declining in number. The butterfly fell into the Red Book of IUCN, the Komi Republic.

Limiting factors

Butterflies are very attached to habitats. They do not attempt to find comfortable areas for living, moving over considerable distances. A sedentary lifestyle negatively affects the number of insects. The destruction of natural biotopes leads to the death of Apollos. Among the factors that worsen the conditions of existence:

• bollards of grass and shrubs;
• trampling of meadows and glades by cattle;
• plowing of land;
• overgrowing wasteland with trees.

One of the reasons for the mass death of insects was global warming. An increase in air temperature in the winter leads to premature exit of the tracks from the eggs. The appeared maggots have nothing to eat, they die of hunger and the following frosts.

Security measures

The species Parnassiusapollo is recognized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which is threatened with extinction with a continuing downward trend in the number of butterflies. It is listed in the IUCN Red List. A decrease in the number of insects is observed in many countries of Europe. Sailboat Apollo was in the Red Book of Ukraine, Belarus, Norway. Sweden, Germany. In Russia, the butterfly also received protection at the state level and in individual areas.

To preserve the common Apollo, it is necessary to expand and preserve the places of long-term residence of butterflies.It is recommended to stop plowing the soil, plant honey plants for adults and stonecrops for caterpillars.