Battus polydamas
Encyclopedia
The Gold Rim Swallowtail or Polydamas Swallowtail (Battus polydamas) is a butterfly
of the family Papilionidae.
is 90–120 mm without the tail. The upperside of the wings is black with a broad submarginal band formed by large yellow spots. The undersides of the forewings have the same pattern, while the hind wings have a submarginal row of red drawings. This butterfly flies from April to November in three generations in the north of its range, throughout the year in several generations in the tropics. The larvae feed on Aristolochia
species.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
of the family Papilionidae.
Description
The wingspanWingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 90–120 mm without the tail. The upperside of the wings is black with a broad submarginal band formed by large yellow spots. The undersides of the forewings have the same pattern, while the hind wings have a submarginal row of red drawings. This butterfly flies from April to November in three generations in the north of its range, throughout the year in several generations in the tropics. The larvae feed on Aristolochia
Aristolochia
Aristolochia is a large plant genus with over 500 species. Collectively known as birthworts, pipevines or Dutchman's pipes, they are the namesake of the family . They are widespread and occur in the most diverse climates. Some species, like A. utriformis and A...
species.
Distribution
It is found in the Neotropic ecozone of North America and South America], and the Southernmost parts of the North American Nearctic ecozone in Mexico.Subspecies
- Battus polydamas polydamas (Tropical South America)
- †Battus polydamas antiquusBattus polydamas antiquusBattus polydamas antiquus is an extinct subspecies of the Polydamas Swallowtail within the Papilionidae family. It is only known by a drawing from 1770 by British entomologist Dru Drury. It was endemic to Antigua....
(Rothschild & Jordan, 1906) - Battus polydamas atahualpa Racheli & Pischedda, 1987; PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. - Battus polydamas cebriones (Dalman, 1823);
- Battus polydamas christopheranus (Hall, 1936).
- Battus polydamas cubensis (Dufrane, 1946); CubaCubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. - Battus polydamas dominicus (Rothschild & Jordan, 1906); Dominican RepublicDominican RepublicThe Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
. - Battus polydamas grenadensis (Hall, 1930)
- Battus polydamas jamaicensis (Rothschild & Jordan, 1906); Jamaica JamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. - Battus polydamas lucayus (Rothschild & Jordan, 1906); Bahamas.
- Battus polydamas lucianus (Rothschild & Jordan, 1906) St. Lucia
- Battus polydamas neodamas (Lucas, 1852); GuadeloupeGuadeloupeGuadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
. - Battus polydamas peruanus (Fuchs, 1954); PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. - Battus polydamas polycrates (Hopffer, 1865); HaïtiHaitiHaiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, Dominican RepublicDominican RepublicThe Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
. - Battus polydamas psittacus (Molina, 1782); ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. - Battus polydamas renani Lamas, 1998; [Peru]].
- Battus polydamas streckerianus (Honrath, 1884); PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. - Battus polydamas thyamus (Rothschild & Jordan, 1906); Puerto-Rico, Virgin IslandsVirgin IslandsThe Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean...
. - Battus polydamas vincentius (Rothschild & Jordan, 1906)
- Battus polydamas xenodamas (Hübner, 1825) MartiniqueMartiniqueMartinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
- Battus polydamas weyrauchi Lamas, 1998; PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
External links
- Butterflies and Moths of North America
- polydamas swallowtail on the UF / IFASInstitute of Food and Agricultural SciencesThe University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information...
Featured Creatures Web site