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Butterfly of the sub-salaries: description, life cycle, habitats. Swallow machaon
The butterfly of the sub-world received its name in honor of the famous ancient Greek doctor Podaliria, the hero of myths. This species belongs to the family of sailing ships.
Habitat
In search of food the butterfly flies along the slopes of ravines, foothills, glades, forest edges. Can fly into the gardens and parks, rich in flowering trees and shrubs.
Due to the fact that sailboats (butterflies) migrate for long distances in search of a home, they can be found in North Africa, the Middle and Middle East, the Caucasus, and also in hot regions of Europe. In the warm season, these insects can be seen in Scandinavia and the British Isles.
In the Crimea, the butterfly lives in the mountains and in the flat areas. Preference is given to sites with shrubby vegetation.
Butterfly butterfly: description
The abdomen is narrow and long. The forehead of the butterfly is strongly lowered. Figure on the wings, the range of which reaches 7-9 cm, is the same for females and males.
Varieties of submaliria
The coloring of the insect wings can vary depending on the subspecies.
The butterfly of the subalilar is like a ship floating on a watery surface. It can be found in alpine meadows. Distinctive features of a butterfly of this species:
- Wide strips of black color;
- Small size of the wings;
- Relatively short tail on them.
There are several more subspecies:
- Iphiclides podalirius virgatus. It has a white color of wings.
- Iphiclides podalirius feisthamelli. The subspecies resides in Portugal and Spain. Male males have pale yellow fore wings with an orange-yellowish border.
Swallow machaon
This butterfly, unlike the subaliria, has another pattern of wings and a length of tail. This name was given to the insect by Swedish scientist K. Linnaeus. The first generation of butterflies has a more pale color. On their wings a dark figure is visible. In very hot weather, scientists noted the appearance of smaller specimens. Insects of the summer generation are characterized by a brighter color and a larger size.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
Development of the butterfly (subaliria) occurs in two generations. The first is born after May 10 and actively flies during the month, the second - from July to August.
The male attracts the female with beautiful bright wings, fluttering next to her. Before laying eggs, a female specimen carefully looks for the plant from which it will feed, and lays one egg on the reverse side of the leaf. Eggs of a butterfly are dark green with a reddish top, bordered by a pair of yellowish rings. After a short period of time, their color changes, becoming bluish with a pattern of black. The shape of the egg is slightly globular. There is an embryo in a mesh fragile shell. From six to seven days the stage of maturation lasts. For all life the female lays up to one hundred and twenty eggs.
For pupation, caterpillars sprawl over huge distances in search of a suitable place. This process occurs in a dense bush, near the rhizomes or in the crevices of tree trunks. The summer pupa has a greenish color with small veins, which resemble the leaves of the fodder plant. Winter - a dark yellow or brown shade, disguised as a color of dry leaves. The winter period of the pupae is carried out by attaching to the fodder plant.
What does the butterfly eat?
The caterpillar of this species favors fruit trees for this purpose:
- Apple tree;
- Cherry;
- Plum;
- peach.
The butterfly eats on the flowers of the following plants:
- Viburnum;
- Honeysuckle;
- A snake;
- Broom;
- Scabioses;
- Kurchatov;
- Cornflower.
In recent years, there has been a decrease in the number of subaliries. The reason - the use of a large number of chemical agents for the destruction of pests in the fields, as well as the cutting of fruit trees.
This species of butterflies is listed in the Red Books of Russia, Ukraine and Poland.
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