Zerynthia polyxena

Zerynthia polyxena, the southern festoon, is a butterfly belonging to the butterfly family Papilionidae.

Description

The southern festoon can reach a wingspan of 46–52 mm. The females have slightly longer wings, usually lighter colored than males. The basic color of the wings is yellow, with a complicated pattern of several black bands and spots.
On the edges of the hindwings they have a black sinuous line with a series of blue and red warning spots to deter potential predators. The body is dark brown and bears red patches on the sides of the abdomen.
This species is rather similar to, and can be confused only with, the Spanish festoon. The differences are in the presence of blue on the hind wings of Z. polyxena and the relatively lower amount of red on its forewings compared with Z. rumina. The ranges of these two species overlap only in southeast France.
The caterpillars of Z. polyxena are up to 35 millimeters long. They are initially black, then they are yellowish with six rows of fleshy orange and black spikes all over the body.

Description in Seitz

T. polyxena Schiff. & Den.. the black costal spots of the forewing bear red centres, also on the upperside, while usually such red dots are found only in some places of the underside. This form is not rare in some localities, for instance in the West of the Balcan Peninsula. — Specimens in which the black colour is extended are known as ab. cassandra Hb. ; the proportional extent of black is, however, individually very variable. Such melanotic specimens occur everywhere singly as aberrations, but are found as the only form in some localities, for instance Dalmatia. — ab. ochracea Stgr. is the name of individuals in which the light yellow colour is replaced by a magnificent dark yellow. Also this form occurs everywhere among the ordinary form, but is in certain places especially plentiful. — ab. meta Meig. , however, is everywhere a rare aberration, the red colour of the purple spots being replaced by dark yellow. — In ab. bella Neub. the third costal spot is reduced. — The full-grown larva reddish yellow r black-brown, with pointed setiferous tubercles; in May and June on Aristolochia, especially in moist and
warm localities. The statement that the larva feeds also on Quercus ilex is doubtless occasioned by an error of identification. The pupa is very slender, being yellowish grey, marked with brown.

Distribution

Z. polyxena is widespread in the middle and southern Europe covering all the Balkans and reaching the south of Kazakhstan and the Urals. Although they are widespread they occur only locally.

Habitat

These rare butterflies can be found in warm, sunny and open places such as grassy herb-rich meadows, vineyards, river banks, wetlands, cultivated areas, brushy places, wasteland, rocky cliffs and karst terrains, at an elevation of from 0 to 1,700 metres above sea level but usually below 900 metres.

Biology

It is an early spring butterfly. Adults fly from April to June in a single brood. The adults are active for no more than three weeks. The females lay their eggs singly or in small groups at the bottom of the host plants. When found in the wild they prefer to live and lay their eggs in densely vegetated areas, and there is a positive correlation between number of leaves on the host plant and number of eggs laid by females. The eggs are spherical and whitish at first, bluish colored before hatching. The caterpillars feed on birthworts. The special food of the larvae provides the toxic substances which then also go to the adults, making them unpalatable. The young caterpillars feed at first on flowers and young shoots, while after the second molt they feed on leaves. The pupae stay linked to a support by a silk belt for wintering and the new adults hatch the next spring.

Subspecies and forms

Under the rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, Article 1.3.4, names used only below the rank of subspecies do not enter into consideration in zoological nomenclature; infrasubspecific names do not have formally recognized authorship, and do not compete for priority or homonymy with names used for species or subspecies. Accordingly, all of the names used for "forms" of Z. polyxena listed below must be disregarded as having no nomenclatural standing whatsoever, even though many are presented with authors and dates.
Subspecies and forms include:Zerynthia polyxena polyxena in Italy

* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. punctata Schultz, 1908
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. marpha Schultz, 1908
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. rubra Hoffmann], 1916
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. bella Neuburger, 1903
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. bipunctata Cosmovici, 1892
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. meridionalis Hoffmann, 1916
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. tripunctata Zelezny, 1916
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. nora Schultz, 1908
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. muelleri Bryk, 1921
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. springeri Ronnicke, 1906
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. reducta Zelezny, 1915
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. nigromaculata Zelezny, 1915
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. unimaculata Zelezny, 1915
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. demaculata Schultz, 1908
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. confluens Schultz, 1908
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. lateviltata Schultz, 1908
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. fasciata Begrer, 1919
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. skalae Zelezny, 1917
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. derubescens Zullich, 1928
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. alba Esper, 1805
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. subalba Schultz, 1908
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. rufescens Oberthür, 1879
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. meta Meigen
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. ochracea Staudinger, 1861
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. cellopura Eisner
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. basinigra Eisner
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. quincunx Eisner
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. divisa Schultz, 1908
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. ornata Eisner
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. vitrina Rothschild
* Zerynthia polyxena polyxena f. irregularis HollandZerynthia polyxena aemiliae Rocci, 1929 in North Italy; Lombardy: Massa Lombarda, Modena, LivornoZerynthia polyxena albanica Riemel, 1927 in AlbaniaZerynthia polyxena australis
* Zerynthia polyxena australis f. alicea Neuburger, 1903
* Zerynthia polyxena australis f. paucipunctata Neuburger
* Zerynthia polyxena australis f. tristis Verity
* Zerynthia polyxena australis f. divisa Schultez
* Zerynthia polyxena australis f. hartmanni Staudfuss, 1896
* Zerynthia polyxena australis f. unipunctata Eisner, 1954
* Zerynthia polyxena australis f. minusculus Eisner
* Zerynthia polyxena australis f. vitrina Rothschild sensu Eisner
* Zerynthia polyxena australis f. aperta Eisner, 1954
* Zerynthia polyxena australis f. quincunx Eisner
* Zerynthia polyxena australis f. honnerathii Boisduval, 1832
* Zerynthia polyxena australis f. albescens Eisner
* Zerynthia polyxena australis f. binaria EisnerZerynthia polyxena bosniensis Eisner, 1974 in Bosnia
* Zerynthia polyxena bosniensis f. ochracea Staudinger, 1861
* Zerynthia polyxena bosniensis f.reducta Zelzny, 1915Zerynthia polyxena bryki Eisner, 1954 in Montenegro, Herzegovina borderZerynthia polyxena cantabrica Gomez-Bustille Zerynthia polyxena carmenae Sabariego et Martinez, 1991 in BulgariaZerynthia polyxena cassandra in south France, north Italy
* Zerynthia polyxena cassandra f. ochracea Staudinger, 1861
* Zerynthia polyxena cassandra f. vitrina Rothschild, 1918
* Zerynthia polyxena cassandra f. inornata Pionneau
* Zerynthia polyxena cassandra f. bella Neuburger
* Zerynthia polyxena cassandra f. reducta Železný, 1915
* Zerynthia polyxena cassandra f. quincunx Eisner
* Zerynthia polyxena cassandra f. microcreusa Verity, 1947
* Zerynthia polyxena cassandra f. deminuta Verity, 1947Zerynthia polyxena cassandra-clara Verity, 1947 in CroatiaZerynthia polyxena castiliana Ruhl, 1892
* Zerynthia polyxena castiliana f. derubescens Schultz
* Zerynthia polyxena castiliana f. honnorathii Boisduval, 1832
* Zerynthia polyxena castiliana f. tristis Verity, 1906
* Zerynthia polyxena castiliana f. semitristis de Sagarra, 1930
* Zerynthia polyxena castiliana f. ornatissima Blachier, 1908
* Zerynthia polyxena castiliana f. nigricans Holland
* Zerynthia polyxena castiliana f. alicea Neuburger, 1903Zerynthia polyxena catalonica de Sagarra 1930
* Zerynthia polyxena catalonica f. semitristis de Sagarra, 1930Zerynthia polyxena caucasiae Nardelli & Hirschfeld, 2002 north west of CaucasusZerynthia polyxena creusa Meigen, 1829 Zerynthia polyxena decastroi Sala & Bollino, 1992 in ItalyZerynthia polyxena deminuta Verity, 1947 southern of FranceZerynthia polyxena demnosia Freyer, 1833
* Zerynthia polyxena demnosia f. quincunx Eisner
* Zerynthia polyxena demnosia f. vitrina Rothschild
* Zerynthia polyxena demnosia f. ochracea Staudinger, 1861Zerynthia polyxena gracilis Schultz, 1908 in north-east Turkey: Brusa, Karagja DaghZerynthia polyxena idaensis Eisner, 1974 in Crete
* Zerynthia polyxena idaensis f. rumina Linne, 1758Zerynthia polyxena latevittata in SicilyZerynthia polyxena latiaris Stichel, 1907 in south Italy: Calabria, Rome, Monti AlbaniZerynthia polyxena linnea in Italy, ElbaZerynthia polyxena macedonia Eisner, 1974 in MacedoniaZerynthia polyxena michaelis Nardelli, 1993 in ItalyZerynthia polyxena microcreusa Verity, 1947 southern of FranceZerynthia polyxena minima Gerhardinger, 1951 Spain: Toledo)Zerynthia polyxena nemorensis in Italy: Toscana, Firenze.Zerynthia polyxena nigra Sijaric, 1989 in BosniaZerynthia polyxena padana Rocci, 1929 in north Italy: Piedmont, Lombardy, TurinZerynthia polyxena patrizii Nardelli, 1993 in ItalyZerynthia polyxena petheri Romei, 1927 Zerynthia polyxena petri in Greece, south Ukrainskaja: Cherson, Kiev, lower Juzinyi Bug, KrimZerynthia polyxena polymnia in Greece: EuboeaZerynthia polyxena reverdinii Fruhstorfer, 1908 in west and north Italy: Liguria.Zerynthia polyxena silana Storace, 1962 in ItalyZerynthia polyxena sontae Sijaric, 1989 in SerbiaZerynthia polyxena taygetana Rosen, 1929 in Greece: Taygetus, PeleponesosZerynthia polyxena thesto Fruhstorfer, 1908 in south-west U.S.S.R.: lower Volga, Saratow, lower Don
* Zerynthia polyxena thesto f. rufescens Oberthür, 1879
* Zerynthia polyxena thesto f. muelleri Bryk, 1991
* Zerynthia polyxena thesto f. cellopura EisnerZerynthia polyxena tristis de Lattin, 1950 in TurkeyZerynthia polyxena vipsania Hemming, 1941