Parnassius corybas

Previously, Parnassius corybas was commonly known as Parnassius phoebus ( Fabricius , 1793) and under this name the taxon appeared in all domestic works (including editions of the Red Books ) ^[1] , except for the last catalog of the fauna of the former Lepidoptera of the USSR (Korb, Bolshakov, 2011) ^{[ 2]} . Some authors still consider the form and is given in the old interpretation ^[3] .

The need for a name change was revealed during the audit (Hanus, Theyc, 2010) ^[4] .

Papilio phoebus was briefly described in 1793 by the Danish entomologist Johann Christian Fabrice based on a watercolor painting created by William Jones and representing a butterfly from the collection of British entomologist Drew Drew , caught in Siberia. The specimen designated as “ Papilio phoebus ” is actually a taxon, which is today known as Parnassius ariadne ( Lederer , 1853; type locality: Western Altai, the confluence of the Irtysh and Bukhtarma ). The specimen designated as “ Papilio phoebus ” was caught in the Western Altai in 1771, during the expedition of Peter Simon Pallas to Siberia. Pallas himself received a butterfly from Nikita Sokolov , his companion, who collected it between July 15 and 25, 1771, about 10-30 km east of Ust-Kamenogorsk ^[4] . Alpine " Parnassius phoebus ", cited by various authors since 1793, is an erroneous identification and the name of the taxon was replaced during the audit (Hanus, Theyc, 2010) with the very first available name applicable to this taxon, namely Parnassius corybas Fischer von Waldheim , 1823 , in the restored status ^[4] .

The “true” Parnassius phoebus is a taxon named before the revision Parnassius ariadne (Lederer, 1853) , which becomes the younger subjective synonym of Parnassius phoebus (Fabricius, 1793) ^[4] .

Thus, the species, previously known as Parnassius phoebus , is now called Parnassius corybas , and the taxon, previously known as Parnassius ariadne , is now called Parnassius phoebus ^[5] .

Imago

Fore wing length 25-40 mm. Wingspan 50-60 mm. Very similar to Apollo ( Parnassius apollo ), only slightly smaller in size and the wings are not white, but rather cream-colored. The general background of the wing is white, slightly pollinated by dark scales. The outer edge of the front wings (and the females and rear) transparent. A distinctive feature of the species are black and white antennae . In addition, on the upper wings, along with a set of black spots, there are also two red with a black outline, which are very rarely seen in the Apollo. On the rear wings are two red spots, edged with black. Females may have additional red with edging spots on the front and rear wings. The coloration of females is more contrasting and more saturated with dark colors than that of the male.

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  ♂

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  ♂ △

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  ♀

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Caterpillar

The caterpillar length reaches 48 mm. It looks similar to the Apollo caterpillar, also black, only on the sides they have not red, but yellow spots. The caterpillar mnemosyne is very similar in its yellow-orange spots to the caterpillar of this species, but their ranges do not overlap.

The species is distributed in the Alps at an altitude of 1600 to 2800 m. Above sea level , in the northern part of the Urals , in Siberia , the Far East , in the mountains of Mongolia and northwestern China , mountains of Eastern Kazakhstan ( Saur , ranges of Southern Altai ), Siberia and Far East, Chukotka , Kamchatka , Sakhalin Island , Subpolar Urals ( Yugyd-Va National Park), Polar Urals (Rai-Iz Mountain, Pai-Khoi Ridge, near Sob Station), North America Mountains - Western USA , from Alaska to California . The southernmost location is the Sysertsky district of the Sverdlovsk region .

On the territory of Russia it occurs sporadically and forms many local populations and regional subspecies.

In the Eastern Altai, it is found on the Kurkure , Shapshalsky and Dzhulukulsky hollows. In the North and Central Altai - on the Seminsky , Cherginsky ridges . Katunsky, Terekhtinsky, in the South-Eastern Altai - on the Kurai Range and Sailyugem, in the basins of the rivers Katun , Chuya, Chagan-Burgazy , Alaha, Ak-kem , Northern Kuragan . Along the Katunsky Range it lives at altitudes of 1200–1800 meters, along the Kurai Range - at altitudes up to 2500 m above sea level .

According to the type of landscape-zonal distribution P. corybas is a pronounced mountain view ^[3] . It inhabits fine-grass subalpine and alpine meadows , tundra , fine-grained and fine-grass meadows on the border between the subalpine and mountain-tundra belt. The main habitats of the species in the Urals are large-grass, grass and grass-grass meadows, meadow, ernik and shrub-moss mountain tundra. In the Subpolar Urals, caterpillars were found at the border of the mountain-tundra belt and the belt of cold golets desert at an altitude of 1100–1200 m above sea level ^[3] .

Develops in one generation. Butterflies fly time: 2-3 decade of July - 1-2 decade of August. However, its beginning and duration are dependent on the geographical latitude of the area, the height of mountain habitats and weather features of the current year. For the arctic North American populations, optional two-year generation is indicated ^[6] .

Butterflies fly exclusively in sunny weather, visiting meadow-steppe plants - aster ( Aster ), stile leafstones ( Saxifraga aizoides ), young ( Sempervivum ), Highlander ( Polygonum ), goat ( Scorzonera ), Origanum vulgaris ( Origanum vulgare ), bow ), Siberian skirda ( Crepis sibirica ), etc.

The female lays the eggs next to the fodder plant on the moss or dead parts of the plants, as well as on the ground or stones. Rarely eggs are placed directly on the leaves of forage plants. Caterpillars hibernate, usually in an egg, they leave it only after the snow melts. Eggs lie singly on the soil near the food of the caterpillars, laid in late July - August. However, sometimes the caterpillars emerge from eggs before the beginning of winter. Caterpillars hibernate at the first age (half of them while still in the chorion of the egg). In late May - early June, the caterpillars begin to feed, develop two and a half decades or more, depending on weather conditions. Caterpillars pupate in small depressions on the ground or between stones in a translucent white dense, but thin cocoon between moss, fallen leaves, or in pebbles near a food plant. The development of the pupa takes about two weeks. Wintering of the pupae is likely.

Forage plants of caterpillars are Rhodiola ( Rhodiola ), stonecrop ( Sedum ), and saxifrage ( Saxifraga ).

Under the name Parnassius phoebus it is included in the Red Books of the Republic of Komi (2009) ^[7] , Yamalo-Nenets (2010), Khanty-Mansiysk (2003) ^[8] , Nenets (2006) ^[9] autonomous districts and the Sverdlovsk region (2008).