''Apatura metis'', the Freyer's purple emperor, is a species of

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

found in

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago a ...

."''Apatura metis'' Freyer, 1829"
at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms''

Appearance

Freyer's purple emperor has dark wings with reddish and yellow bands. The wings of the male are bluish purple if seen from the right angle.

Systematics

Freyer's purple emperor belongs to the genus ''

Apatura ''Apatura'' is a genus of butterflies commonly known as the emperors. Species Listed alphabetically: * ''Apatura ilia'' ( enis and Schiffermüller 1775) – lesser purple emperor * ''Apatura iris'' (Linnaeus, 1758) – purple emperor * ''Apa ...

'', subfamily Apaturinae. The species is divided into seven subspecies: * ''Apatura metis metis'' (Freyer, 1829) (south-eastern Europe) * ''Apatura metis bunea'' (Herrich-Schäffer, 1845) (south-European Russia, Caucasus) * ''Apatura metis substituta'' (Butler, 1873) (Japan) * ''Apatura metis irtyshika'' (Korshunov, 1982) (south-western Siberia, Kazakhstan) * ''Apatura metis separata'' (Tuzov, 2000) (Transbaikalia) * ''Apatura metis heijona'' (Matsumura, 1928) (Korea, Amur and Ussuri regions) * ''Apatura metis doii'' (Matsumura, 1928) (Kurile islands)

Habitat and ecology

Freyer's purple emperor usually inhabits forests and is often found nearby rivers and streams. The female spends the majority of her life in the foliage. The largest habitat of the animal is the

Gemenc Gemenc is a unique forest that is found between Szekszárd and Baja, in Hungary. This is the only remaining tidal area of the Danube in Hungary. The wood's fauna include stags, boars, storks, grey herons, gyrfalcons, white-tailed eagles, and k ...

forest in southern Hungary. Although it is one of the rarest animals in Europe, it can be seen in large quantities there. In Europe, Freyer's purple emperor usually has one, sometimes two generations, the first in May and June, the second in July and August. The caterpillars feed on

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

species. This species is stoutly protected in Europe. The nominal worth of a single specimen is HUF50,000, which equals about

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

238.

Gallery

File:Apatura metis 02.jpg, ''Apatura metis substituta'' on

Mount Kirigamine is a 1,925m volcano, located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Outline The tallest peak of Mount Kirigamine is Mount Kuruma, on which there is a weather radar site. Most of the mountain is covered in grass with sparse bushes and rocks. The south an ...

, Japan File:Apatura_metis_03.jpg

References

{{authority control Apaturinae Butterflies of Europe Butterflies of Asia