''Parides burchellanus'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

swallowtail butterfly 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 larges ...

(

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Papilionidae). It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Description

''Parides burchellanus'' is a large, velvet-black butterfly. The forewing is unmarked except for small, white marginal spots. The underside of the hindwing has small, red postdiscal spots. These are smaller and paler on the lower surface. The hindwing has a scalloped outer margin and a large androconial hair-pouch on the anal margin of the male. There are no tails. Apart from the hair-pouch, the sexes are alike. A full description is provided by Rothschild, W. and Jordan, K. (1906) File:TransactionsES1872P.burchellanus.jpg, Original description File:Macrolepidoptera15seit 0015.jpg, in Seitz

Biology

The food plants of the larva are ''

Aristolochia ''Aristolochia'' () is a large plant genus with over 500 species that is the type genus of the family Aristolochiaceae. Its members are commonly known as birthwort, pipevine or Dutchman's pipe and are widespread and occur in the most diverse clima ...

chamissonia'' and ''A. melastoma''.

Taxonomy

''Parides burchellanus'' is a member of the ''Parides aeneas''

species group In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

and may be

conspecific Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organ ...

with, ''

Parides aeneas ''Parides aeneas'' is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found in the Neotropical realm. The larva feeds on ''Aristolochia'' ''burchelli'' and ''A. barbata'' Subspecies *''P. a. aeneas'' Guianas, Surinam *''P. a. boliv ...

''. A suggested intermediate is known. The ''aeneas'' group members are *''

'' *''

Parides aglaope ''Parides aglaope'' is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found in Brazil and Bolivia. Original description Male. Plate X figure 5.—The primary wings deep bluish black, with the summits clearer; a greyish blue oblique b ...

'' *''Parides burchellanus'' *'' Parides echemon'' *''

Parides eurimedes ''Parides eurimedes'' is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is commonly known as the mylotes cattleheart, Arcas cattleheart, pink-checked cattleheart, and true cattleheart. It is native to the Americas. Subspecies In 2004, G ...

'' *'' Parides lysander'' *'' Parides neophilus'' *'' Parides orellana'' *'' Parides panthonus'' *'' Parides tros'' *'' Parides zacynthus'' Rio em São Jorge

Habitat and threats

''P. burchellanus'' is a rare species or, if it is a subspecies, an

evolutionarily significant unit An evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) is a population of organisms that is considered distinct for purposes of conservation. Delineating ESUs is important when considering conservation action. This term can apply to any species, subspecies, g ...

, of butterfly (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea) that lives in a very few areas in central Brazil. Its close relation with a highly peculiar environment ( gallery or riparian forest along rivers running through the

cerrado The ''Cerrado'' (, ) is a vast ecoregion of tropical savanna in eastern Brazil, particularly in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Minas Gerais, and the Federal District. The core areas of the Cerrado biome are ...

landscape) restricts its occurrence to a few points. The frailty of its habitat, towards the increasing of loss of natural environments, makes it a target prone to elimination. The Parides burchellanus is associated with riparian forests in Brazil, in which these rare butterflies tend to inhabit narrow streams among sectors in which the river is cut off by the forest canopy. Beirão, Marina V., et al

"Population Biology and Natural History of Parides Burchellanus"

References

*Edwin Möhn, 2006 ''Schmetterlinge der Erde'', Butterflies of the World Part XXVI (26), Papilionidae XIII. ''Parides''. Edited by Erich Bauer and Thomas Frankenbach Keltern: Goecke & Evers; Canterbury: Hillside Books. (Supplement 13 in English - by Racheli) Parides, burchellanus Fauna of Brazil Endemic fauna of Brazil Papilionidae of South America Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Butterflies described in 1872 {{papilionidae-stub