Parnassius mnemosyne

Swallowtails - Papilionidae:

CLOUDED APOLLO-
Parnassius mnemosyne (Linnaeus, 1758)

Clouded apollo (Parnassius mnemosyne) (Photo: © Leif Aarvik)

Characteristics: Wingspan 60-68 mm. The wings are white. It has dark ribs and dark spots on the fore wing front edge. It has a grey, transparent area on the fore wing apex as well as a grey shading at the base. The thorax and abdomen are dark with greyish white hairs. The female is generally darker and more transparent than the male. The species may be confused with the black-veined white(Aporia crataegi), but the latter does not have dark spots on the fore wing front edge

Occurrence in Norway: The species is known only in four municipalities in Norway: Norddal, Sunndal and Stranda in Møre og Romsdal (MRI), and Luster in Sogn (SFI). The species is the only Norwegian butterfly with an exclusively western distribution. Although several of the populations are small and local, most of them are sustainable and stable.

Total range: From the Pyrenees and southern France through central Europe to southern Fennoscandia; further eastwards to Iran, Caucasus, and central Asia; southern Fennoscandia, but the species has now disappeared from Skåne and Denmark.

Habitat: The species’ habitat in Norway is southern hillsides, preferably with stony slopes. This is in contrast to the species’ habitats in among other countries Sweden, which usually is open forest clearings with moist meadows or at the base of hills with running water. The species is probably benefited to a certain degree by cultural influences such as pasture and logging. This opens the forest to the corydalis plants and gives the adult butterflies easier access to the host plants. (Photo of the Clouded apollo’s habitat).

Biology: The larva develops only on corydalis (Corydalis); in Norway on intermediate corydalis  (C. intermedia) (Photo) (Hansen et al. 1993). This plant is common in stony slopes, and preferably in alder or elm forest. The corydalis emerges early in the spring, especially in southern hillsides where the Clouded apollo lives. The larva develops inside of the egg in the autumn, but does not hatch until the spring. The development happens very rapidly, as the butterfly may be on the wings about May 17^th. The adult butterflies often prefer wood crane's-bill to other nectar plants.

Threats: The Norwegian populations seem to be sustainable and relatively stable, and no significant decline can be traced. Some years there are few on the sites, and there is a possibility for some populations to be decimated by senseless collecting. A large dike in Tafjord and activities connected to gold search may have influenced the species negatively in this area. The Clouded butterfly has been totally protected in Norway since 1989. The species has been given a redlist status as ”vulnerable” (V).

Literature:

Hansen, L.O. & Aarvik, L. 2000. Sjeldne insekter i Norge. Del 3. Sommerfugl. NINA Fagrapport 038: 1-145.

Hansen, L.O., Heibo, E. & Lønnve O. 1993. Augustflygende mnemosynesommerfugler i Sogn og Fjordane! Insekt-Nytt 18 (2): 13-22

Henriksen, H.J. & Kreutzer, I. 1982. Skandinaviens dagsommerfugle i naturen. Skandinavisk Bogforlag, Odense. 215 pages.

Higgins, L.G. & Riley, N.D. 1980 (rev.ed). A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Britain and Europe. Collins. 384 pages.

The species sheet has been elaborated by Lars Ove Hansen & Leif Aarvik. Translated by Gunvor Varland.

A species sheet in "Lepidoptera of Norway" (NORGES SOMMERFUGLER)

Last updated: 20.09.2000