The rubidus is a butterfly which can be found in the eastern regions of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. Despite its distinctive appearance, it is not a true species of butterfly. The rubidus is the offspring of a Viceroy and a white admiral or a red spotted purple, with hybridisation being more common in the latter as the viceroy and red spotted butterfly inhabit more common land. This

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

can be manufactured in laboratory conditions by facilitating the interbreeding of the two butterfly species, but it can be also found in nature as their range overlaps which can lead to them breeding. It is not known whether the rubidus is fertile or sterile. If it is a fertile hybrid, it can breed with other hybrids and essentially create a new species similarly to the Appalachian tiger swallowtail which initially started as a hybrid between the

Eastern tiger swallowtail ''Papilio glaucus'', the eastern tiger swallowtail, is a species of butterfly native to eastern North America. It is one of the most familiar butterflies in the eastern United States, ranging north to southern Ontario, Canada, and is common in m ...

and the Canadian tiger swallowtail

References

{{reflist Limenitis Hybrid animals