''Papilio alexanor'', the Alexanor or southern swallowtail, is a

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

species in the

Papilionidae Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies in the family Papilionidae, and include over 550 species. Though the majority are tropical, members of the family inhabit every continent except Antarctica. The family includes the larg ...

or swallowtails. The insect has a wingspan of 62–70 mm. It flies from April to July in a single generation, in mountainous regions (1700 m) of Europe,

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

, the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

, and Asia (

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

to west

Tian-Shan The Tian Shan,, , otk, 𐰴𐰣 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃, , tr, Tanrı Dağı, mn, Тэнгэр уул, , ug, تەڭرىتاغ, , , kk, Тәңіртауы / Алатау, , , ky, Теңир-Тоо / Ала-Тоо, , , uz, Tyan-Shan / Tangritog‘ ...

Description

''Papilio alexanor'' is similar to ''

Papilio machaon ''Papilio machaon'', the Old World swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. The butterfly is also known as the common yellow swallowtail or simply the swallowtail (a common name applied to all members of the family, but this speci ...

'', however, the basal third of the forewing is not entirely black, but bordered basally and distally by a broad black band. The bands are continued across the hindwing, bordering also here the yellow basal area. The larva is similar to that of ''P. machaon'' but more variegated, the red dots larger and brighter; it is easy to find, since the stalks of the plants on which it feeds become white, the epidermis being gnawed. Pupa are stone grey, very flat, with

carinate Carinate is a shape in pottery, glassware and artistic design usually applied to amphorae or vases. The shape is defined by the joining of a rounded base to the sides of an inward sloping vessel. This design is seen in ancient cultures such as ...

sides and uneven surface; fastened on stones and resembling a small stone splinter.

Subspecies

*''Papilio alexanor destelensis'' (Nel & Chauliac, 1983) Southern France *''Papilio alexanor hazarajatica'' (Wyatt, 1961) Kopet-Dagh south Ghissar *''Papilio alexanor judeus'' (Staudinger, 1893) Asia Minor, Palestine, Transcaucasia - Has broader black bands, especially in the basal area. *''Papilio alexanor orientalis'' (Romanov, 1884) Armenia - Larger than the European form and has on the whole narrower black bands, only the submarginal band of the hindwing being broadly blue. *''Papilio alexanor radighierii'' (Sala & Bollino, 1991) Piedmont, Italy *''Papilio alexanor voldemar'' (Kreuzberg, 1989) west Tian-Shan

Biology

The larva feeds on

Umbelliferae Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plants ...

, notably '' Trinia vulgaris'', '' Seseli montanum'', '' Ptychotis saxifraga'', '' Opopanax chironium'', and a number of

Ferula ''Ferula'' (from Latin ''ferula'', 'rod') is a genus of about 220 species of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, native to the Mediterranean region east to central Asia, mostly growing in arid climates. They are herbaceous perennial plants ...

species.Butterfly Conservation Armenia. http://www.butterfly-conservation-armenia.org/papilio-alexanor.html

Protection

It is a protected species.

References

External links

AdaMerOs - Butterflies of Turkey
Insects of Pakistan

alexanor In Greek mythology, Alexanor (Ancient Greek: Ἀλεξάνωρ) was a son of Machaon, and grandson of the Greek god Asclepius, who built to his grandfather a temple on the summit of Titane in the territory of Sicyon. Around it there were dwell ...

Butterflies of Europe Butterflies of Asia Butterflies described in 1799 Balochistan Taxa named by Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper {{Papilionidae-stub