Parides montezuma
Parides montezuma, the Montezuma's cattleheart, is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is native to the Americas.
Description
The upperside of the wings is black, without a band and with one row of red crescents along the hindwing margin. The underside of the wings is almost the same as the upperside. A full description is provided by Rothschild, W. and Jordan, K.Distribution and habitat
P. montezuma is found in dry forests from Mexico to Costa Rica, occurring from sea level to. It is rare in Costa Rica, being more common northward. It is not threatened.Host plants
Aristolochia acanthophyllaAristolochia foetida – Jalisco Dutchman's pipeAristolochia grandiflora – pelican flowerAristolochia micranthaAristolochia orbicularisParides montezuma is a member of the ascanius species group A quadrate whitish spot in space 2 of the forewings is quite peculiar of the ascanius group
The members are