Parides alopius

The white-dotted cattleheart (Parides alopius) a species of butterfly. It is in the family Papilionidae.

White-dotted cattleheart
BCA – Parides alopius.jpg
Scientific classification
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Binomial name
Parides alopius
Parides alopius range map.JPG

It is endemic to Mexican. It has also been found once in the United States in southeastern Arizona.[1]

Description

The upper side of the wings is black. The hind wing (bottom wing) has two rows of spots. The first row is white. The second row is pink. Males have fewer white spots than females. The underside of the wings is similar to the upper side. The row of pink spots on the underside are more noticeable than the pink spots on the upper side.[1] It has a wingspan of 3-3.5 inches.

Life cycle

The caterpillar is ringed with black and white bands. It has yellow and reddish-brown fleshy areas. Each side of the body has red, orange, and white spots. The chrysalis is a blue-green color. The head, parts of the thorax, and the abdomen are a bright yellow-green color. It is not known whether the chrysalis has a brown form or not. The chrysalis has a similar shape to that of the pipevine swallowtail's (Battus philenor) chrysalis.

The imago (adult) is seen from March-November. It lives in pine-oak forests.

Host plants

The only known host plant the caterpillar feeds on is Watson's pipevine (Aristolochia watsoni).[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman 2003. Butterflies of North America. Houghton Mifflin, New York, NY. ISBN 0-618-15312-8

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