Mnemosyne, or Black Apollo - Parnassius mnemosyne L.
The butterfly was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1858 in his famous book "Systema Naturae." It is named after the ancient Roman goddess of memory. Mnemosyne (Greek mythology) is the goddess of memory, the mother of the nine Muses, and the daughter of Uranus and Gaia.
Wingspan up to 70 mm. The length of the forewing is 20–35 mm. The wings are rounded, covered with sparse scales. The marginal area of the forewing is semi-transparent, glassy. The veins are dark, sharply contrasting with the background along their entire length. The forewing has 2 black spots: in the central cell with a discal spot, the hindwing has a dark field in the anal area and various spots of different sizes and shapes. In hot, dry areas, the coloration is lighter.
Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed; females are usually darker, with more extensive glassy areas on the wings. The antennae are short, club-shaped, black, with the tip of the club being black. The thorax and abdomen are black, covered with dense whitish hairs. In females, the abdomen is bare and shiny on top, sometimes with yellow spots. The species is characterized by strong individual variability. The most variable traits are the size and shape of the dark elements of the wing pattern and the semi-transparent areas on the wings, as well as the overall pigmentation: the background color can vary from pure white to gray, smoky.
The butterfly flies from late April to mid-July. Butterflies are mainly active in calm sunny weather, with a slow, gliding flight. Females appear about a week later than males, usually sitting on grass and rarely flying short distances.
The female lays about 40 whitish eggs, one or two eggs on withered leaves and stems of fumeworts (Corydalis) or near them on the ground. It overwinters in the egg stage with fully formed caterpillars. In April to early May of the following year, the caterpillars emerge—black, with red and yellow spots. During the day, they hide by burrowing into the litter or leaves on the ground, feeding only at night.
Pupation occurs on the ground, with the caterpillar burrowing into leaves and spinning a fairly dense cocoon. The pupal stage lasts about two weeks.
Mnemosyne adapts well to various habitats: from flowering meadows and fields to rocky slopes. With rare exceptions, it does not ascend above 1500 m above sea level.
A rare species, whose population is relatively high but rapidly declining. One of three European species of the numerous Asian genus.
Distribution: Northern Tien Shan, Inner Tien Shan, Priferghana regions of Kyrgyzstan.
INSECTS OF KYRGYZSTAN
