Parides erithalion

Variable cattleheart
P. e. polyzelus
P. e. erlaces male, from Peru
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Genus: Parides
Species:
P. erithalion
Binomial name
Parides erithalion
(Boisduval, 1836)
Synonyms
  • Papilio erithalion Boisduval, 1836
P. e. smalli, female, Panama

Parides erithalion, the variable cattleheart, is a North and South American butterfly in the family Papilionidae. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1836.[1]

Description

The upperside of the wings is black with a row of red postmedian spots. The underside of the wings is also black with a row of pink and whitish spots.[1]

In males of some subspecies the uppersides of the forewings have a large olivaceous-green patch from the inner margin forward, with a creamy-white spot, while hindwings have a band of three red spots. Fringe in both sexes is dotted with white.[2]

Subspecies

  • P. e. erithalion (C. Colombia) [3]
  • P. e. trichopus (Rothschild & Jordan, 1906) (Mexico)
  • P. e. zeuxis (Lucas, 1852) (northern Venezuela)
  • P. e. erlaces (Gray, 1853) (southern Peru, northern Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina)[4]
  • P. e. polyzelus (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1865) (Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras) [5]
  • P. e. lacydes (Hewitson, 1869) (eastern Ecuador)
  • P. e. sadyattes (H. Druce, 1874) (Costa Rica)
  • P. e. cauca (Oberthür, 1879) (western Colombia)
  • P. e. xanthias (Rothschild & Jordan, 1906) (Peru)
  • P. e. chinchipensis (Joicey & Talbot, 1918) (northern Peru)
  • P. e. kruegeri (Niepelt, 1927) (southern Colombia)
  • P. e. guillerminae Pischedda & Racheli, 1986 (northeastern Ecuador)
  • P. e. yaminahua Pischedda & Racheli, 1987 (southern Peru)
  • P. e. keithi Racheli, 1991 (southwestern Venezuela)
  • P. e. palmasensis Brown, 1994 (western Ecuador)
  • P. e. smalli Brown, 1994 (Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama)
  • P. e. callegarii Racheli & Racheli, 1996 (Peru)
  • P. e. inini Brévignon, 1998 (French Guiana)
  • P. e. racheliorum Lamas, 1998 (Peru)
  • P. e. blanca Racheli & Möhn, 2001 (Peru)
  • P. e. browni Le Crom, Constantino & Salazar, 2002 (northeastern Colombia)
  • P. e. chocoensis Constantino, Le Crom & Salazar, 2002 (western Colombia) [2]

Description from Seitz

For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

P. erithalion. Male: tibiae not thickened. Hindwing without distinct red spot behind the 2. median on the upper surface. Female: the spot before the 1. median of the forewing smaller than the preceding spot; band on the hindwing broad, pale on the innerside. Costa Rica to North Venezuela. — zeuxis Luc. (= rhameses Doubl., rhesus Koll., rhamases Fldr., abilius Fldr., rhamses Boisd.) (4a). Male: the green area much narrowed anteriorly, enclosing a large white spot before the 2. median; hindwing with 2 or 3 small red spots. Female: the posterior spot of the forewing larger than the preceding one. North Venezuela and eastern side of the Cordillera of Bogota. — erithalion Boisd. (4a) from Central Colombia (Rio Magdalena) has in the male rarely a white spot on the forewing, which is placed before the 1. median or between the radials. Female: the spot before the 1. median smaller than the preceding one; generally a few small spots outside the cell. — cauca Oberth. Male: the green area of the forewing wanting or merely indicated. Female: band on the hindwing narrow, curved, separated from the cell. Cauca valle — sadyattes Druce (4a). Male: the green area very variable, generally reduced, often wanting; all specimens with at least one white spot, which is placed before or behind the 3. radial, often a green spot in the cell. Female: band of the hindwing almost unicolorous bright red. Costa Rica to Panama.[6]

  • Seitz
    Seitz

Description from Rothschild and Jordan (1906)

A full description is provided by Walter Rothschild and Karl Jordan (1906).[7] Note: Here polyzelus is treated as a full species and trichopus is P. z. trichopus.

Life cycle

The eggs are a brownish color. The caterpillar is brownish black with white and reddish-brown tubercles.

Host plants

The variable cattleheart feeds on Aristolochia cordiflora.

Status

It is common local species and not threatened.[8]

Taxonomy

Parides erithalion is a member of the anchises species group[9]

The members are

References

  1. ^ a b Glassberg, Jeffrey (2007). A Swift Guide to the Butterflies of Mexico and Central America. Sunstreak Books Inc. ISBN 978-1-4243-0915-3
  2. ^ a b Savela, Markku (April 7, 2019). "Parides erithalion (Boisduval, 1836)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  3. ^ Lewis, H. L., 1974 Butterflies of the World ISBN 0-245-52097-X Page 26, figure 8
  4. ^ Lewis, H. L., 1974 Butterflies of the World ISBN 0-245-52097-X Page 26, figure 9
  5. ^ Lewis, H. L., 1974 Butterflies of the World ISBN 0-245-52097-X Page 26, figure 22
  6. ^ Jordan, K., in Seitz, A. ( 1907) . The Macrolepidoptera of the World. 5: The Macrolepidoptera of the American faunistic region. Papilionidae 1-45. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  7. ^ Rothschild, W. & Jordan, K. (1906). "A revision of the American Papilios". Novitates Zoologicae. 13: 411-752. (Facsimile edition ed. P. H. Arnaud, 1967)
  8. ^ Collins, N. Mark; Morris, Michael G. (1985). Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World: The IUCN Red Data Book. Gland & Cambridge: IUCN. ISBN 978-2-88032-603-6 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  9. ^ Edwin Möhn, 2007 Butterflies of the World, Part 26: Papilionidae XIII. Parides Verlag Goecke & Evers Verlag Goecke & Evers ISBN 9783937783277
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