One of the 15 butterflies on WAnimals

Insects · Lepidoptera · Papilionidae

Apollo

Parnassius apollo

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

Size

up to 9.5 cm

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

32countries6parks5same family

Fun facts

  • GeneralProtected across Europe; its populations sit isolated on mountaintops, like islands.
  • The caterpillars feed almost exclusively on stonecrops of the genus Sedum, and overwinter as larvae.
  • More than two hundred subspecies have been described, varying in size, wing shape and density of black spots from place to place.
  • The red spots on the hindwing fade in the sun, so older individuals have them more orange.
  • It is listed in Appendix II of CITES and of the Bern Convention and in Annex IV of the Habitats Directive; in Poland it is critically endangered and in the Czech Republic it is extinct.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type
Invertebrate - chitin exoskeleton (insect)
Habitat & environment
Stony pasture and rocky ground high in the mountains

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parnassius_apollo

Where to watch it

Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.

Related species

Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Apollo — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.

Keep exploring

Based on what we already know about apollo.

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