Protographium marcellus
Protographium marcellus, summer form
Protographium marcellus, formerly included by some authors in the genera Eurytides, Iphiclides, Graphium and Papilio, a butterfly ( butterfly ) from the family of Swallowtail Butterfly ( Papilionidae ).
Protographium marcellus is the official state butterfly of the U.S. state of Tennessee.
- 4.1 Notes and references
- 4.2 Literature
Description
Butterfly
The wingspan of the moth is 64-104 millimeters. All wings have a whitish color. On the upper side of the wings are black stripes, similar to the drawing of zebras, why Zebra Swallowtail (Zebra Swallowtail ) is commonly used for the type in English usage the name. It is made a spring and a summer generation, the latter being slightly wider and more prominent black stripes has. The hind wings show near the Tornus each a red and a bluish, black cored eyespot. Typical for the very long black, white bordered tails, which makes the kind virtually unmistakable. The underside of the hind wing has all the features of the top at the same points in slightly paler version, but additionally shows a narrow red stripes.
Egg
The ball-shaped eggs are initially green, change their color but after a few hours in reddish brown tints. They are laid singly on the leaves of a food plant.
Caterpillar
Adults caterpillars form two color variants. They are either light green and with yellow horizontal stripes between the individual segments as well as black spots or blackish with orange stripes. As a defense against enemies, they are equipped with a Osmaterium on the head.
Doll
The pupa is mottled brownish and shows a sharp cusp on the thorax and two short horns on the head.
Underside of a female, the stores just an egg
Green form of the caterpillar
Dark form of the caterpillar
Doll
Similar Species
Some other species of the genera Protographium and Iphiclides resemble marcellus Protographium. However, these have shorter tails. Also they lack either the typical Zebra Drawing or they come in completely different regions of the world before, for example:
- Protographium celadon (Lucas, 1852) - Cuba
- Protographium marcel linus ( Doubleday, 1845) - Jamaica
- Scarce Swallowtail ( Iphiclides podalirius ) (Linnaeus, 1758) - in Europe and parts of Asia
- Iberian Scarce Swallowtail ( Iphiclides feisthamelii ) ( Duponchel, 1832) - on the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa, parts of
- Iphiclides podalirinus ( Oberthuer, 1890) - China and Tibet
Distribution and habitat
Protographium marcellus occurs in the eastern, some middle and the southeastern states of the USA. In Florida, the subspecies Protographium marcellus is floridensis home. The species prefers to live in open woodlands.
Way of life
The moths form two generations per year, which are found from May to December. Visit for nectar intake like different flowers or take fluid and minerals in humid Erdstellen on. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of various Annonengewächse ( Annonaceae ), especially of the genus pawpaw ( Asimina ), for example, of Three-lobed pawpaw ( Asimina triloba ), Asimina longifolia, Asimina parviflora, Asimina angustifolia, Asimina incana, Asimina reticulata, Asimina pygmea and Asimina obovata. The wintering pupae of the second generation.