North American Ecology (US and Canada)
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Residential in North America where habitat is MOUNTAIN MEADOWS, GRASSLANDS AND OPEN FORESTS (Scott 1986). Host plants are largely restricted to one genus with most known hosts from SEDUM. Hosts are usually herbaceous. Eggs are laid near the host plant singly. Individuals overwinter as eggs. There is one flight each year that is biennial in some areas. Flight time from JUN1-AUG15 depending on latitude (Scott 1986). Sometimes considered a sub-species of Parnassius phoebus (Scott 1986).
Conservation Status
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Not of concern.
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Cyclicity
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One brood annually, with peak flight activity between early July to late August.
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Distribution
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Southern Yukon to New Mexico (Opler 1999). The population near Del Bonita, Alberta may be the only prairie population in North America (Bird et al. 1995). A disjunct population occurs in the Cypress Hills of Saskatchewan (Layberry et al. 1998), and this species should be watched for on the Alberta side at the western end of the Cypress Hills.
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General Description
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The only other parnassian in Alberta is Clodius, known from Waterton Lakes N.P. The Rocky Mountain Parnassian has black and white banded antennae, not solid black as in clodius, and usually has some red markings on the forewing; these are never present in clodius. Females of smintheus are more heavily marked with black scales and have fewer scales overall than males, giving them a darker appearance. Subspecies smintheus occurs in Alberta; this species was described from Rock Lake near Jasper.
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Habitat
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Well-drained, sparsely vegetated mountain meadows.
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Life Cycle
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The egg is creamy white in colour, rounded and slightly flattened on the top and bottom, and has a granulated surface. First instar larvae are black and covered in short hairs, and develop two dorsal rows of bright yellow spots as they mature (Guppy & Shepard 2001). The brown pupae are formed within a weakly constructed cocoon among plant litter or rocks on the ground (Layberry et al. 1998). The fully-developed larva overwinters in the egg. Adult males patrol meadows in search of females, and deposit a waxy, scoop-shaped structure, known as a sphragis, on the female's abdomen tip upon mating; this prevents the female from mating with subsequent males (Layberry et al. 1998). Female parnassians do not lay their eggs directly on the larval foodplant, and hatching larvae must find these upon hatching (Scott 1986). Despite this seemingly random oviposition behaviour, females are able to assess meadow quality, since they lay more eggs in good-quality meadows (Fownes & Roland 2002). Similarly, males are also able to assess meadow quality in terms of nectar flower abundance, mating opportunities and larval foodplant abundance; Matter and Roland (2002) showed that immigration of males into high-quality meadows was higher than into meadows with a lower abundance of nectar, females, and larval foodplants. Most adults live for about two weeks, but can live for three weeks or more (Roland et al. 2000).
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Trophic Strategy
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The larvae of Alberta populations feed on Lance-leaved Stonecrop (Sedum lanceolatum), and adults take nectar at a variety of flowers, particularly composites (Asteraceae) (Bird et al. 1995).
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Parnassius behrii
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Parnassius behrii, the Sierra Nevada parnassian, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is native to the Sierra Nevada of California, US, where it is found in habitats such as rock slides, alpine tundra, and stream edges. Adults use members of the family Asteraceae as nectar plants, and both adults and larvae use Sedum species as nectar and host plants.[1] P. behrii has one flight from mid-July to early September.[2]
The wingspan measures 4.9 to 5.3 centimeters (1.9 to 2.1 in). The dorsal forewing has two black spots and one to three yellow-orange spots along the costa. The hindwing has two yellow-orange spots. The abdomen has pale yellow hairs.[1]
Males fly close to the ground when searching for females. The eggs are laid singly on many surfaces. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of the host plant and will sometimes consume the flowers and seeds. P. behrii hibernates as an egg.[1]
Description
A rather large form, in which the male usually has somewhat longer wings, the submarginal band is marked anteriorly by sharp black luniform spots, which become obsolete posteriorly, the anterior ones of the costal spots usually centred with red, the glossy border is confined to the anterior half, narrowed and so restricted by the white marginal spots that it only remains as a row of blackish wedge-shaped spots; ocelli of the hindwing small. The red yellow colouring of the ocelli and the development of small submarginal spots on the hindwing are given as special characteristics, but these features are not constant. The females as a rule have the costal spots on the forewing strongly filled in with red, a strongly marked submarginal band, the disc more or less dusted with black, on the hindwing the submarginal lunules are confluent as a sort of band and there are grey spots at the margin itself. The aspect on the whole like sayii female or a lighter hermodur [sayii var.] -female. California (Sierra Nevada), Utah.[3]
Etymology
References
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Parnassius behrii: Brief Summary
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Parnassius behrii, the Sierra Nevada parnassian, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is native to the Sierra Nevada of California, US, where it is found in habitats such as rock slides, alpine tundra, and stream edges. Adults use members of the family Asteraceae as nectar plants, and both adults and larvae use Sedum species as nectar and host plants. P. behrii has one flight from mid-July to early September.
The wingspan measures 4.9 to 5.3 centimeters (1.9 to 2.1 in). The dorsal forewing has two black spots and one to three yellow-orange spots along the costa. The hindwing has two yellow-orange spots. The abdomen has pale yellow hairs.
Males fly close to the ground when searching for females. The eggs are laid singly on many surfaces. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of the host plant and will sometimes consume the flowers and seeds. P. behrii hibernates as an egg.
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