Page 65 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Papilionidae
DISTRIBUTION Europe, across Asia Minor east to Mongolia, Russian Far East,
and northwest China
HABITAT Subalpine meadows and dry scrubby hillsides, mostly at
2,460–6,600 ft (750–2,000 m) elevation
HOST PLANTS Stonecrop (Sedum spp.)
NOTE Black-and-orange caterpillar that mimics a large millipede
CONSERVATION STATUS Vulnerable

ADULT WINGSPAN
2¾–3⅜ in (70–85 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
Up to 2 in (50 mm)
PARNASSIUS APOLLO
APOLLO 63

(LINNAEUS, 1758)

The female Apollo lays up to 150 eggs on the host plant, either
singly or in small groups, which then overwinter. When hatched
the following spring, the young caterpillars are entirely black,

making them difficult to spot. As they develop, they gain orange

spots and become similar in appearance to a millipede found
in the same habitat. Both the millipede and the caterpillars
produce a foul-smelling liquid to deter predators—an example
of Müllerian mimicry, a phenomenon first described in the
nineteenth century by German naturalist Fritz Müller (1821–97).

The caterpillar pupates on the ground in a loose cocoon. There
is one generation annually and the adults are on the wing from
late April to September. Long prized by collectors for its beauty, The Apollo caterpillar is velvety black with a row

the butterfly is now classified as vulnerable due to overcollection, of lateral, orange-red spots arranged in pairs,

with one spot larger than the other. The head
disease, and loss of habitat. Conservationists hope that Apollo and body are covered in short, black hairs.
numbers will be boosted by the introduction of measures such
as captive breeding and habitat protection, plus the listing of
the species in Appendix II of CITES to strictly control trade
in its specimens.

Actual size