Parnassius imperator
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Parnassius imperator is a high-altitude butterfly which is found in western China and north-east India. It is a member of the generally white, high-elevation genus Parnassius, known as snow Apollos,[1] of the family Papilionidae, known as swallowtails (although they lack tails).
It has over 40 subspecies, including the critically endangered Himalayan species P. i. augustus, commonly known as the imperial Apollo.[2][3] Apollo Augustus, the imperial Apollo, appeared on Roman coins of the second century CE.[4]
When P. imperator comes to rest, its wings spread horizontally so that its body lies close to the ground, lessening attacks by strong winds.[5]
Description
Subspecies P. i. augustus was described by Hans Fruhstorfer in the 1907 book The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma – Butterflies, Volume II:[6] Template:Quote
Range
“North-eastern India (Sikkim), western China (Xizang Zizhiqu (Tibet), Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan (Szechwan) and Yunnan).”[7] One early siting in Tibet was by Antwerp Edgar Pratt, "... I returned to Ta-tsien-lu... I found time to search for the larvae of Parnassius Imperator and got about twenty, and one pupa"[8]
Status
P. imperator is "not known to be threatened as a species, but P. i. augustus is protected by law in India. It seems to be a common subalpine species in China."[7] P. i. augustus was also included as a Schedule I subspecies in the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.[2] P. i. augustus was listed as "critically endangered" in the 1994 The Red Data Book on Indian Animals: Butterflies of India.[3] P. imperator has been said to command a high price at European butterfly auctions in the past.[9]
Subspecies
There were twenty subspecies in 1985,[7] and more than twice that now included in the Global Names Index:[10][11]
- P. i. acalanatha Shinkai & Morita, 1995
- P. i. aino Bryk, 1932
- P. i. augustus Fruhstorfer, 1903
- P. i. aungsani Nose & Mikami, 1998
- P. i. cedermarki Bryk, 1934
- P. i. dominus Bang-Haas, 1934
- P. i. erlaensis Sugiyama, 1992
- P. i. evansi Bryk, 1932
- P. i. gigas Kotzsch, 1932
- P. i. haveli Kocman, 1995
- P. i. hoshinoi Kocman, 1999
- P. i. imperator Oberthür, 1883
- P. i. imperatrix Alph. 1897
- P. i. imposantus Schulte, 1991
- P. i. indra Korb 1997 - disputed validity[12]
- P. i. interjungens Bryk 1932
- P. i. intermedius Rothschild 1909
- P. i. irmae Bryk, 1932
- P. i. jiyetiani Pierrat, 1990
- P. i. kameii Furumi & Sinkai, 1992
- P. i. karmapa Weiss & Michel, 1989
- P. i. kawasakii Sorimachi, 1992
- P. i. luxuriosus Mrácek & Schulte, 1990
- P. i. mahamayuri Shinkai & Morita, 1995
- P. i. milarepa Hamada, 2003
- P. i. musetta Bryk & Eisner, 1932
- P. i. musageta Grum-Grshimailo, 1891
- P. i. namchawarwanus Watanabe, 1995
- P. i. quaidami Kocman, 1995
- P. i. regina Bryk & Eisner, 1932
- P. i. regulus Bryk & Eisner, 1932
- P. i. rex Bang-Haas, 1928
- P. i. soi Sorimachi, 1997
- P. i. sultan Bryk & Eisner, 1932
- P. i. supremus Fruhstorfer, 1903
- P. i. takashii Ohya, 1990
- P. i. tara Shinkai, 1997
- P. i. titus Kocman, 1997
- P. i. tyrannus Bang-Haas, 1935
- P. i. uxoria Bang-Haas, 1935
- P. i. uxorius Bang-Haas, 1935
- P. i. vajramusti Oikawa, 1995
- P. i. venustus Stichel, 1906
Cited references
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See also
Further reading
- sv:Parnassius imperator - Swedish Wikipedia provides further references and synonymy