- Parnassius smintheus
-
Rocky Mountain Parnassian 
Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera Family: Papilionidae Genus: Parnassius Species: P. smintheus Binomial name Parnassius smintheus
Doubleday, [1847]The Rocky Mountain Parnassian[1] or Mountain Parnassian[2] (Parnassius smintheus) is a high-altitude butterfly which is found in the U.S. and Canada. It is a member of the Snow Apollo genus Parnassius of the Swallowtail (Papilionidae) family.
Contents
Description
This mostly white butterfly has red spots in the centres of the hindwing that distinguish it from other Parnassians. They also have dark spots on the forewing and dark wing margins and submargins.[1] Although this butterfly is in the swallowtail family it has no tail.
They have one flight, from June to mid-August.[3]
Larvae feed on Sedum lanceolatum, Sedum roseum, Sedum divergens, Sedum stenopetalum, and Sedum oreganum.[3][2]
Subspecies
Listed alphabetically.[2]
- P. s. magnus Wright, 1905
- P. s. olympiannus Burdick, 1941
- P. s. pseudorotgeri Eisner, 1966
- P. s. smintheus Doubleday, [1847]
- P. s. sternitzkyi McDunnough, 1936
- P. s. xanthus Ehrmann, 1918
- P. s. yukonensis Eisner, 1969
Distribution
From mountainous areas of Yukon, Alaska, and British Columbia and south as far as New Mexico.[1]
The Rocky Mountain Parnassian lives throughout the western United States year-round. [4] It is found in all of the life zones of the rocky mountains, including the montane, subalpine, and alpine zones. [5] The montane life zone is the warmest because it has the lowest elevation, usually below 9,000 ft., and also has the greatest variety of wildlife. The subalpine zones elevation is at between 9,000-11500 feet elevation. A fun fact about the subalpine is that the upper life zones, 11-12000 feet there is a transition area where krummholz trees grow deformedly because of harsh near-alpine conditions. And lastly the alpine life zone. At 11500 feet elevation and above, the alpine is known for being tundra, Russian for “land of no trees”. It has many plants identical to those of the arctic, and is mostly a cold, rocky life zone. [6]
Similar species
- Clodius Parnassian (P. clodius)
- Eversmann's Parnassian (P. eversmanni)
References
- ^ a b c Jim P. Brock and K. Kaufman. Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America, New York, NY:Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
- ^ a b c Parnassius, funet.fi
- ^ a b Rocky Mountain Parnassian, Butterflies of Canada
- ^ http://fieldguide.mt.gov/detail_IILEP90050.aspx
- ^ http://www.nps.gov/romo/naturescience/butterfly-families-and-park-species-list.htm
- ^ http://www.frommers.com/destinations/rockymountainnationalpark/1460028618.html
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