Limenitis arthemis Drury 1773

Raupe von Limenitis arthemis

Vorkommen von Limenitis arthemis in den USA und Kanada
Rot: L. a. arthemis und L. a. rubrofasciata;
Orange: L. a. astyanax;
Gelb: Gebiet mit Überlappung von L. a arthemis und L. a. astyanax;
Grün: L. a. arizonensis.

Limenitis arthemis ist ein Schmetterling (Tagfalter) aus der Familie der Edelfalter (Nymphalidae). Farblich variieren die Falter außerordentlich, es gibt zwei schwarz-weiße Unterarten und zwei blauviolette Unterarten. Zwischen den Unterarten gibt es vitale und fruchtbare Hybride, so dass eindeutig nachgewiesen ist, dass es sich um ein und dieselbe Art handelt. Durch das stark unterschiedliche Aussehen gibt es zwei englische Trivialnamen, „White Admiral“ und „Red-spotted Purple“, für die Art.

Limenitis arthemis arthemis wurde nach einer Volksabstimmung im Oktober 1998 zum (inoffiziellen) Insektenemblem der kanadischen Provinz Québec gewählt.^[1]

Merkmale

Falter

Die Falter erreichen eine Flügelspannweite von 47 bis 78 Millimetern, wobei die kleineren Falter im Norden vorkommen.^[2]

Die vier Unterarten der Art sind folgendermaßen zu unterscheiden:

• Limenitis arthemis arthemis (Nominatform) zeigt auf den Flügeln breite weiße Binden auf schwarzbraunem oder blauschwarzem Grund mit zuweilen roten und blauen Flecken am Saum der Hinterflügel. Die Flügelunterseite ist bräunlich, mit einer breiten weißen Binde auf allen Flügeln versehen und lässt rote und blaue Flecke nahe dem Saum erkennen.

• Limenitis arthemis rubrofasciata zeigt sehr ähnliche Zeichnungselemente wie die Nominatform. Auf der Unterseite der Hinterflügel fehlen blaue Zeichnungselemente.

Beide Unterarten haben eine schwarze Vorderflügelspitze im Gegensatz zu Limenitis lorquini und der Unterseite der Hinterflügel fehlt das Weiß in der Basalregion von Limenitis weidemeyerii.

• Limenitis arthemis astyanax hat keine weißen Binden auf den Flügeln und ist durch eine bläuliche Grundfärbung charakterisiert. Nahe dem Apex der Vorderflügel befinden sich mehrere rote Flecke. Die Hinterflügelunterseite ist schwarz bis schwarzblau und zeigt deutliche rote und blaue Flecke.

• Limenitis arthemis arizonensis hat ebenfalls eine bläuliche Grundfärbung und es fehlen die weißen Binden auf den Flügeln. Die bläuliche Grundfärbung fällt jedoch meist dunkler aus. Oftmals fehlen die roten Flecken am Apex der Vorderflügel oder sind reduziert. Die Zeichnung der dunklen Unterseite der Hinterflügel zeigt rote und blaue Flecke.

Vergleich der Flügeloberseiten

• Limenitis arthemis arthemis

• Limenitis arthemis astyanax

• Limenitis arthemis arizonensis

• Battus philenor

Vergleich der Flügelunterseiten

• Limenitis arthemis arthemis

• Limenitis arthemis astyanax

Ei

Die Eier sind graugrün gefärbt.^[3]

Raupe

Erwachsene Raupen haben meist eine bräunliche, grünliche oder weißgrüne Farbe. Der Kopf ist rotbraun und trägt zwei kleine, dunkle, gezähnte Hörner. In der Mitte des Abdomens befindet sich eine sattelförmige Ausbuchtung, die rosa, weißlich oder cremefarben schimmert. Im Gesamterscheinungsbild stellen sie eine Vogelkot-Mimese dar.

Puppe

Die sattelförmige Ausbuchtung der Raupe ist auch bei der Puppe sehr deutlich hornartig ausgebildet. Die Nominatform ist in der Grundfärbung cremig weiß. Flügelscheiden und Sattel sind braun.^[4]

Bei der Unterart L. astyanax überwiegen in der Grundfarbe gelbbraune bis rosa Tönungen. Sie ist außerdem mit dunklen grünen und grauen Sprenkeln versehen.^[3]

Mimikry

Die blauen Unterarten ähneln dem „Pipevine Swallowtail“ (Battus philenor), der zwar kurze Schwänzchen auf den Hinterflügeln zeigt, dennoch schwer zu unterscheiden ist. Der giftige Battus philenor ist das Model bei dieser Bates'schen Mimikry für L. astyanax und zahlreiche weitere Imitatoren wie Papilio troilus, Papilio polyxenes-Weibchen und schwarze Papilio glaucus-Weibchen, die sich alle damit vor Fressfeinden schützen. Die Verbreitungsgebiete der Imitatoren deckt sich gut mit dem des Models in den östlichen USA, wo sich dieser Mimikry-Ring entwickelt hat. In Experimenten fraßen unerfahrene Vögel die ungiftigen Imitatoren. Wenn sie jedoch einmal Battus philenor probiert hatten und diesen wegen seiner Aristolochiasäuren nicht fraßen, wollten sie meistens auch keine Imitatoren mehr fressen.^[5] Die Gene für die schwarzen Flügel, die für die Mimikry verantwortlich sind, sind dominant. Dagegen ist das Gen für die weißen Streifen rezessiv.^[6] Von 40° bis 46° nördlicher Breite ist eine Übergangszone, in der alle möglichen Kombinationen der Eigenschaften vorkommen. Südlich davon haben alle Falter dunkle Hinterflügel und nördlich davon ist das weiße Band immer vorhanden.^[3]

Geographische Verbreitung und Lebensraum

Limenitis arthemis kommt in den USA und in Kanada vor und besiedelt hauptsächlich Laubwälder sowie Lichtungen und Waldränder. Derselbe Lebensraum wird von Limenitis widemeyerii und Limenitis lorquini in anderen geografischen Regionen besiedelt.^[7]

• Limenitis arthemis kommt in Kanada östlich ab Manitoba und im Nordosten der USA vor

• Limenitis arthemis rubrofasciata kommt in Kanada vom zentralen Manitoba bis Alaska vor und wird daher auch als „Western White Admiral“ bezeichnet.^[2]

• Limenitis arthemis astyanax ist im Osten und Südosten der USA verbreitet.

• Limenitis arthemis arizonensis hat keine geographische Überlappung mit anderen Unterarten und kommt von Arizona über New Mexico und dem westlichen Texas bis ins südliche Mexiko vor.^[8]

Lebensweise

Die Art bildet in den nördlichen Regionen eine Generation im Jahr, deren Falter je nach Region von Juni bis August fliegen. Im Bundesstaat New York ergeben sich zwei Generationen, die von Juni bis September fliegen. In den südlichen Vorkommensgebieten werden mehrere Generationen gebildet, die von März bis November (Florida) oder von April bis November (Arizona) fliegen. Die Falter saugen zur Aufnahme von Flüssigkeit, Nahrung und Mineralien an blutenden Bäumen, feuchten Erdstellen, überreifen Früchten, Blüten, Aas, Exkrementen oder vermoderndem Holz. Männliche Falter der ssp. astyanax sind relativ flugträge und ruhen gerne auf den Zweigen von Büschen und Bäumen, wohingegen die Männchen der ssp. arizonensis fast den ganzen Tag hindurch auf der Suche nach den Weibchen an den Nahrungspflanzen entlang fliegen. Nach der Begattung legen die Weibchen die Eier einzeln auf der Unterseite der Nahrungspflanze ab. Junge Pflanzen werden dabei bevorzugt. Die Raupen ernähren sich von den Blättern einer Vielzahl verschiedener Pflanzen, dazu zählen Birken- (Betula), Weiden- (Salix), Weißdorn- (Crataegus), Pappel- (Populus), Erlen- (Alnus), Prunus-, Eichen- (Quercus), Ulmen- (Ulmus) und Lindenarten. Sie überwintern in einem Hibernarium.^[3]

Belege

Literatur

• James A. Scott: The Butterflies of North America , Stanford University Press, Stanford CA., 1992, ISBN 0-8047-2013-4

Einzelnachweise

1. ↑ michaelclifford
2. ↑ ^{a b} Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: White Admiral, Red-spotted Purple. Government of Canada, abgerufen am 22. Februar 2013 (englisch).
3. ↑ ^{a b c d} Scott, S. 260–261
4. ↑ Puppe@1@2Vorlage:Toter Link/lepidopteralife.deviantart.com (Seite nicht mehr abrufbar, Suche in Webarchiven) Info: Der Link wurde automatisch als defekt markiert. Bitte prüfe den Link gemäß Anleitung und entferne dann diesen Hinweis.
5. ↑ Scott, S. 72
6. ↑ Scott, S. 78
7. ↑ Scott, S. 107
8. ↑ Attributes of Limenitis arthemis. In: Butterflies and Moths of North America. Abgerufen am 22. Februar 2013 (englisch).

Weblinks

– Sammlung von Bildern, Videos und Audiodateien

Limenitis arthemis ventral view.

Limenitis arthemis, the red-spotted purple or white admiral, is a North American butterfly species in the cosmopolitan genus Limenitis. It has been studied for its evolution of mimicry, and for the several stable hybrid wing patterns within this nominal species; it is one of the most dramatic examples of hybridization between non-mimetic and mimetic populations.

Limenitis arthemis can be split into two major groups, mainly based on one physical characteristic: the presence of a white band along the wings. Individuals of the northern group, called white admirals, have a conspicuous white band that traverse both the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the wing, while those of the southern group, called red-spotted purples, lack that trait as they have evolved to mimic the poisonous pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor). Due to overlap in distribution among the two major groups, intermediates are numerous as hybridization occurs frequently.

Taxonomy and phylogenetics

Limenitis arthemis is a butterfly species in the tribe Limenitidini of the family Nymphalidae. The Limenitidini are a tribe of the better known "brush-footed butterflies", as they are known to perch on hindlegs, whereas the other two forelegs are positioned curled up. These two forelegs often have brush-like hairs, which is a key identifier of the Nymphalidae. The Limenitidini consist of 25 species grouped primarily by region. The Basilarchia species group, spread in North America, include the American white admiral species, L. arthemis, as well as L. archippus, L. lorquini, and L. weidemeyerii.^[2]

Description and identification

Limenitis arthemis is described to be beautiful and highly active. The butterfly species themselves can be divided into two major groups simply from one main characteristic, the white band on the upper wings. However, besides the look of the butterfly, L. arthemis are in constant motion. Their flights are short in duration and at low altitudes, flying only about 2 to 3 feet off the ground. When not in flight, L. arthemis are constantly walking over leaves and folding their wings. They enjoy the sun as many are found to be resting at the highest points on trees. During the short period they are at rest, L. arthemis keep their wings closed, body at a 45 degree angle upwards, and antennae straight forward.^[3]

The two sexes of this species are identical except that the females are slightly larger than the males.^[4] The upperside of L. a. arthemis is mostly blackish-blue with white postmedian bands across both wings. Some individuals have a row of red submarginal spots, while others have this area being blue. The underside of the wings is a blackish color with a broad white post-median band. The basal area of both wings contains many red spots. The submarginal area may contain a row of red spots and the marginal area having bluish spots. However, sometimes the submarginal and marginal areas are just a reddish-brown color.^[4][5][6]

The upperside of L. a. astyanax is very much like L. a. arthemis except it lacks the broad white bands. The forewing submarginal area will sometimes have a row of red spots. The hindwings are either a bright iridescent blue or an iridescent bluish-green. The underside of the wings lacks the white band. The basal area has several red spots. It has a row of red submarginal spots and bluish marginal spots.^[4][5]

Distribution and habitat

Limenitis arthemis are vastly spread out throughout North America. L a. arthemis or the white admiral live on the far north side of the continent, ranging from New England and southern Great Lakes area all the way to various parts of Canada. L. a. astyanax are based further south from the New England and southern Great Lake boundary, and can be found as far south as Florida;^[7] the hybridization region is the overlapped region of New England and southern Great Lakes. These butterflies spend their days in deciduous woodlands, along the edges of the forest in shady areas, including roadsides.^[8]

Home range and territoriality

Male territoriality display

When males are searching for mates, they generally try to defend areas that have high female visitation rates, regardless of the amount of resources. Male L. arthemis are known to be very aggressive when it comes down to defending an area bountiful of female mates. Male residents perch under the sun until another male comes into the vicinity; these engagements generally last approximately 1–5 minutes. Once conflicts comes to an end, males periodically patrol their territory for other outsiders tempted to take over the territory. Males also have high fidelity to the territory they are defending.^[9]

Food resources

Caterpillars

Caterpillars of the hybrid region generally feed on tree species in the plant family Salicacceae, including aspen, poplar, and willow trees. Those of the northern region generally feed extensively on yellow birch trees, including Betula aleghaniensis and Betula lenta. Southern caterpillars feed on black cherry (Prunus serotina) and other members of the Rosaceae family.^[10]

Adults

Red Spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis) dorsal view

The adult diet generally includes rotting fruit and nectar from small white flowers.

Parental care

Oviposition

Females lay eggs on leaves of food plants (see Food Resources for details), specifically at the very tips of these leaves, to the point where the width of the egg and that of the leaf are the same. These plants are about two to three feet off the ground. Mother undergoes labor for several weeks, laying only a few eggs per day; this is implied as more and more worn-out females are found.^[3]

Life history

Life cycle

Limenitis arthemis larvae

Limenitis arthemis have two broods lasting from April to October. Most of the first brood feed and grow until the caterpillar is half-grown. Then they form a hibernaculum and hibernate for the winter until the start of spring. However, some larvae are able to mature during the summer, so they emerge as the second brood early fall. The second brood also mate and lay eggs, but often these larvae are not yet mature enough to undergo hibernation. Ultimately, this could mean death for the larvae.^[3]

caterpillar

Egg

Lasting about 7 days, the eggs have a grey-green color with kite-shaped cells surrounding a central circular structure.

Caterpillar

Lasting a couple of weeks after hatching, L. arthemis larvae have wood brown heads with dark brown and yellow bordered bodies. Mature larvae are deep brownish-olive color with faint white midsections on their dorsal sides. The legs and prolegs are red-brown. Third stage larvae undergo hibernation at start of winter.

Pupa

Pupa stage last approximately 10–14 days. Chrysalis vary color from a creamy white to silvery gray.

Adult

Red Spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis)

Adult butterflies, if part of first brood, are usually flying by mid-June. Adults are diurnal, meaning they fly from the morning until soon after dusk.^[11] Life as an adult lasts approximately 6-14 days.

Sensory biology

Vision

Vision is a dynamic and integral part of an organism. For the L.arthemis it is crucial in order to find food, avoid predators, and engage in social signaling i.e. mating behaviors. Butterfly vision is diverse and unique amongst individual species. This is due to their remarkable range of photoreceptor classes, each with distinct spectral sensitivities.^[12] This diversity results not only from the different spectral properties, but also from the alternations in the number and spatial distribution of visual pigments.^[13] Vision is a collaborative process between the components of the visual pigment: the opsin protein and the chromophore. The opsin gene encodes opsin proteins, which binds to the chromophore to form a visual pigment. These visual pigments are modulated by specific amino acids which determines the absorbance spectra that allows for animals to detect particular wavelengths of light. In L. arthemis, it has been shown in a study that the diversification of opsins have altered on a longitudinal cline along with natural selection due to environmental factors, unrelated to spectral tuning.^[14]

Protective coloration

Batesian mimicry

Red-spotted purple

This type of mimicry between species of the Limenitis arthemis is a prime example of convergent evolution, in which similar traits are developed among species in common niches or environment. Butterfly wing pattern is a trait often subjected to mimicry among species of different lineages because despite its diversity, the patterns are developed based upon a strict blueprint laid by preceding ground plans that were conserved throughout evolution.^[15] Though the exact mechanism by which the wing patterning developed remains unclear, there is evidence of genes associated with the eyespot patterning development.^[16] Yet, two conflicting ideas have been proposed to explain the mechanism involved: conserved homology or recent variability.^[17]

The red-spotted purple butterfly, also known as the subspecies L. arthemis astyanax, is a well known Batesian mimic.^[2] The palatable red-spotted purple mimics the unpalatable pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor) with its overall dark wings with bright iridescent blue along the hind wings.^[2]

The two subspecies differ in the presence of a bright white band on both upper wings in the L. arthemis arthemis (non-mimic form).

Pipevine swallowtail

A study hypothesized that the higher density of either model or mimic would cause a decrease in the effect of the mimicry in evading predators; however, this was not the case, since they showed that even with the lowest density of the model, the effectiveness of evading predators by the mimics did not decline.^[18]

A further study indicates that this phenomenon may be regulated by positionally orthologous nucleotide variants in the genome of these butterflies. Specifically, the gene WntA was found to be responsible for mimicry between L. arthemis and the pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor), species that diverged more than 65 million years ago.^[19]

Another study ruled out a major hypothesis stating that the reappearance of the non-mimic form was due to the evolutionary loss of mimicry and a reversion to the ancestral phenotype.^[2] It showed that this hypothesis is most likely incorrect. These reasons included such significant levels of both contemporary and historical gene flow between the two phenotypic species that individual gene trees would not be accurate.^[2] In addition, past work on this hypothesis utilized mitochondrial DNA, which is an unreliable guide to phenotype.^[2]

Unlike previous studies which suggested that melanin pathway genes were responsible for variation in patterning and pigment expression,^[20] the WntA pathway is a crucial part of the early development of embryos and therefore highly conserved between species; thus making it the most likely candidate responsible for the evolution of mimicry in L. arthemis.^[17]

Genetics

Subspecies

L. arthemis Distribution Map:
Red: L. a. arthemis
Orange: L. arthemis astyanax
Yellow: Hybridization region between L. a. arthemis and L. a. astyanax
Green: L. a. arizonensis

• Limenitis arthemis arthemis, the American white admiral, has the common appearance described in the description section of the white admiral.
• Limenitis arthemis rubrofasciata, the western American white admiral, has a brick-red band along the margins of the ventral hindwing, and are mainly found west of Lake Superior.
• Limenitis arthemis astyanax, the red-spotted purple or red-spotted admiral, has red spots on the underside of the wings, while the upperside has no white bands, but irridescent blue on the hindwings
• Limenitis arthemis arizonensis, the Arizona red-spotted purple, has wings that appear similar to the L. a. astyanax, but pointier hindwings. This subspecies resides in the southwestern regions of the US.

Hybridization

Limenitis arthemis is one of the most dramatic examples of hybridization within a nominal species. The two major subspecies that dominate the hybridization are L. a. arthemis (white admiral) and L. a. astyanax (red-spotted purple). The white admiral is characterized by a bright, white band on its wings, while the red-spotted purple lacks the white band, but has cooler blue-green shades on its wings. Hybridization occurs between a narrow area across New England, southern Ontario, and the Great Lakes, also known as the "suture region". It is at these regions that the subspecies were formed.^[10][18]

According to one study, these hybrid zones were of secondary origin, meaning that both the white admiral and the red-spotted purple are already genetically distinct and the two diverged lineages reconnect at this hybrid area.^[10] They were able to support their claim by examining various of mitochondria DNA of the population to determine the similarities and differences of the origins of the hybrid zones and the evolution of mimicry. Another study suggests that hybridization is highly frequent in this species because similar species mate together regardless of being the same butterfly or not. For instance, the L. arthemis was found to be mating with a L. archippus butterfly in New England.^[21]

Mating

Mate searching behavior

Limenitis arthemis Mississauga Ontario Canada - Top view

When males are searching for female mates, they tend to seek territories with plentiful visits from females. Mate-locating behaviors for males tended to start in the afternoon, between 11 am and 4 pm. Most males perched as a sign of defense of the territory. Males tend not to favor perching on host trees, but rather on various kinds of foliage like maple, elm trees, or raspberry bushes, generally about 1–2 meters off the ground. This particular mating behavior seems ironic because males should want to perch on host trees as females tend to seek mates in areas where resources like food or host trees are bountiful. Therefore, many times, males are defending areas that do not attract the most females.^[9]

Male-male behavior

Males tend to display aggressive behavior with each other during territorial fights. Fights have been classified into two types: 1) jostling, which are contests over eclosed or eclosing females and 2) aerial maneuvers, which are fought over ownership of mating territories in a specific breeding ground.^[22] These fights are significant due to the ability of female butterflies to "double-mate" which introduce the idea of sperm precedence and competition to reproduce between males. A study showed that within female butterflies that "double-mate" a small percent of the progeny resulted from the mixing of sperm, which illustrate the individual fitness of the male. Therefore, there is an incentive for males to claim their mate prior to other males, which can also affect male mate-seeking strategies as well.^[23] Generally, the fights engaged by L. arthemis are aerial maneuvers which are initiated once a nonresident male files into his peripheral vision. After which a series of flight patterns such as circling flights, vertical and/or horizontal chases, and hovering flights ensue. It is established that the "competition" component of the fight is the circling flight, often followed by the horizontal chase in which the 'loser' is chased from the disputed territory. Territorial fights are not limited to mating, but it is a method to optimize their mate-seeking behavior.^[22]

Female-male behavior

Once a female lands on a leaf, the male lands behind her quite shortly after. If the female does not want to copulate, she closes her dorsal wings.

Ecology

Preferred host plants: birches, including Betula lenta; Salicaceae, including Salix bebbiana and Populus tremuloides, and Prunus virginiana (Rosaceae).

Also but not as often: Crataegus, Amelanchier, Malus pumila, Prunus pensylvanica and Prunus serotina (Rosaceae), Populus deltoides, P. grandidentata and P. balsamifera (Salicaceae), Alnus rugosa, Betula alleghaniensis and Carpinus caroliniana (Betulaceae), Ulmus americana (Ulmaceae), Tilia americana (Malvaceae) and Fagus grandifolia (Fagaceae).

Limenitis arthemis caterpillar feeding on a willow tree

Etymology

Limenitis (Neo-Latin "of harbours", from Ancient Greek Λιμενιτις (from λιμήν, a harbour, haven) – an epithet of Artemis, goddess of the hunt and the wild) – arthemis, from Artemis.^[24]

In popular culture

The white admiral is the official state butterfly of New York. Limenitis arthemis arthemis is also considered by some to be the unofficial insect emblem of Quebec.

Image gallery

• 

  Caterpillar

• 

  Side view of Limenitis arthemis astyanax, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas, United States

• 

  Back view of Limenitis arthemis astyanax, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas, United States

• 

  White admiral in southern Maine

• 

  Red-spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax), Baltimore, Maryland, United States

• 

  Limenitis arthemis arthemis, New Brunswick, Canada

• 

  Limenitis arthemis rubrofasciata in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

• 

  Red-spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax), Pennsylvania, United States

• 

  Limenitis arthemis arthemis, dorsal, Ottawa, Ontario

• 

  Limenitis arthemis arthemis, ventral, Ottawa, Ontario

• 

  Limenitis arthemis arthemis, Quebec

• 

  Red-spotted purple, Massachusetts, United States

See also

• White admiral (disambiguation)

References

Literature

• Darby, Gene (1958). What is a Butterfly. Chicago: Benefic Press. p. 37.
• Fullard, James H; Napoleone, Nadia (2001). "Diel flight periodicity and the evolution of auditory defences in the Macrolepidoptera". Animal Behaviour. 62 (2): 349–68. doi:10.1006/anbe.2001.1753. S2CID 53182157.
• Handfield, Louis (1999): Papillons du Québec. Broquet. ISBN 2-89000-486-4
• Lederhouse, R.C., 1992. Territoriality along flyways as mate-locating behavior in male limenitis arthemis. Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society., 47(1), pp. 22–31.
• Covell, Charles V. (1994). "Field observations of matings between female Limenitis archippus and male L. arthemis subspecies (Nymphalidae)". Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 48.
• Mullen, Sean P; Dopman, Erik B; Harrison, Richard G (2008). "Hybrid Zone Origins, Species Boundaries, and the Evolution of Wing-Pattern Diversity in a Polytypic Species Complex of North American Admiral Butterflies (Nymphalidae: Limenitis)". Evolution. 62 (6): 1400–17. doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2008.00366.x. PMID 18331459. S2CID 38769164.
• Ries, Leslie; Mullen, Sean P (2008). "A Rare Model Limits the Distribution of Its More Common Mimic: A Twist on Frequency-Dependent Batesian Mimicry". Evolution. 62 (7): 1798–803. doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2008.00401.x. PMID 18410533. S2CID 42438552.
• Savage, Wesley K.; Mullen, Sean P. (2009). "A single origin of Batesian mimicry among hybridizing populations of admiral butterflies (Limenitis arthemis) rejects an evolutionary reversion to the ancestral phenotype". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 276 (1667): 2557–65. doi:10.1098/rspb.2009.0256. PMC 2686656. PMID 19369265.
• Savela, Markku (2008): Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms - Limenitidinae. Version of 31 August 2008.
• Scudder, Samuel H (1889). The butterflies of the eastern United States and Canada : with special reference to New England. OCLC 768299076.

Limenitis arthemis

L'Amiral (Limenitis arthemis) est une espèce nord-américaine de lépidoptères (papillons) de la famille des Nymphalidae et de la sous-famille des Limenitidinae.

Depuis 2021, il est l'insecte emblème officiel de la province de Québec (Canada)^[1].

Noms vernaculaires

• En français : l'Amiral^[2] (ce nom est aussi parfois utilisé pour le Vulcain, Vanessa atalanta).
• En anglais : White Admiral (pour les sous-espèces arthemis et rubrofasciata) et Red-spotted Purple (pour les sous-espèces astyanax et arizonensis)^[3].

Description

Papillon

L'imago de Limenitis arthemis est un papillon d'envergure variable, de 5,7 à 10,1 cm^[4], et qui se présente sous deux formes géographiques si différentes qu'elles ont été prises pour des espèces distinctes :

• Les deux sous-espèces septentrionales Limenitis arthemis arthemis et L. a. rubrofasciata présentent un motif classique du genre Limenitis, avec le dessus des ailes à fond noir barré d'une large bande transversale blanche. Aux ailes postérieures, la bande blanche est bordée côté externe d'une série de taches qui sont bleues avec un peu de rouge chez L. a. arthemis, et entièrement rouge brique chez L. a. rubrofasciata. Le revers a un fond brun rougeâtre, avec la même large bande blanche que sur le dessus ainsi que des taches postdiscales et basales rouge brique^[2] ;

• Chez les deux sous-espèces méridionales Limenitis arthemis astyanax et L. a. arizonensis, la bande blanche est entièrement absente. Les deux faces des ailes sont donc principalement noirâtres ; elles comportent des tirets marginaux bleus, des reflets iridescents bleuâtres sur l'aile postérieure et des taches postdiscales et basales rouge brique au revers des ailes^[2].

Les sous-espèces arthemis et astyanax s'hybrident dans leur aire de contact, située dans le Nord-Est des États-Unis et le Sud de l'Ontario.

• L. a. arthemis, face dorsale.

• L. a. arthemis, face ventrale.

• L. a. astyanax, face dorsale.

• L. a. astyanax, face ventrale.

Chenille

La chenille est blanche, tachée de brunâtre et ressemble à une déjection d'oiseau^[2].

Systématique

L'espèce Limenitis arthemis a été décrite par l'entomologiste britannique Dru Drury en 1773 sous le nom initial de Papilio arthemis^[5]. Au sein du genre Limenitis, elle fait partie du groupe Basilarchia, considéré par certains auteurs comme un genre distinct.

On recense les synonymes suivants^[5] :

• Papilio arthemis Drury, [1773] — protonyme
• Basilarchia arthemis (Drury, [1773])
• Papilio lamina Fabricius, 1793
• Limenitis proserpina Edwards, 1865
• Basilarchia virithemis Field, 1936

Sous-espèces

L. a. arizonensis

On considère généralement que cette espèce se compose de quatre sous-espèces^[3],[5] :

• Limenitis arthemis arthemis (Drury, [1773]) — Est du Canada, Nord-est des États-Unis
• Limenitis arthemis rubrofasciata (Barnes & McDunnough, 1916) — Ouest du Canada, Nord des États-Unis
• Limenitis arthemis arizonensis Edwards, 1882 – Mexique, Arizona, Nouveau-Mexique
• Limenitis arthemis astyanax (Fabricius, 1775) – moitié est des États-Unis

Biologie

Période de vol et hivernation

Chenille.

Au Canada, il vole en une génération de juin à août. Une seconde génération partielle peut émerger^[2]. Plus au sud il vole en deux générations entre avril et octobre^[6].

Il hiberne au troisième stade de la chenille^[6].

Plantes hôtes

Les plantes hôtes de sa chenille sont des Salix (saules), Carpinus, Crataegus, Populus, et Betula (bouleaux) pour L. a. arthemis, Prunus pour L. a. astyanax^[5],[2].

Hybridation

La sous-espèce L. a. astyanax peut localement s'hybrider avec Limenitis archippus^[7], et la sous-espèce L. a. rubrofasciata avec Limenitis lorquini^[8].

Distribution et biotopes

Carte de répartition des sous-espèces :

• L. a. arthemis et L. a. rubrofasciata
• L. a. astyanax
• zone de contact entre L. a. arthemis et L. a. astyanax
• L. a. arizonensis

L'espèce est présente en Amérique du Nord : au Mexique, aux États-Unis et au Canada^[5].

Au Canada, la sous-espèce L. a. arthemis se rencontre dans tous les territoires jusqu'à la limite des arbres, et L. a. astyanax dans le sud-ouest de l'Ontario^[2]. Aux États-Unis, il est présent en Alaska, dans les états du nord-est, du centre et de l'est, dans les Montagnes Rocheuses jusqu'en Floride, dans l'ouest du Texas et au Mexique^[6].

Biotope

Ce papillon se rencontre principalement en forêt, dans les clairières et le long des chemins forestiers^[2].

Notes et références

Voir aussi

Limenitis arthemis is een dagvlinder uit de familie Nymphalidae, de vossen, parelmoervlinders en weerschijnvlinders. De spanwijdte varieert tussen de 51 en 100 millimeter.

Het verspreidingsgebied beslaat grote delen van het Nearctisch gebied. In het gebied komen een aantal ondersoorten voor, die onderling ook paren. Basilarchia arthemis arthemis heeft een witte band, die bij de Basilarchia arthemis ontbreekt.

Veel verschillende planten worden door de rupsen als voedselplant gebruikt. Voorbeelden zijn Prunus, Populus, Quercus en Betula. De vliegtijd van de twee generatie ligt tussen april en oktober.

Het uiterlijk van de Basilarchia arthemis lijkt op de giftige Battus philenor; hieraan ontleent de vlinder enige bescherming.

• ssp. L.a. arizonensis

• ssp. L.a. astyanax

Externe link

• Butterflies of North America

Mediabestanden die bij dit onderwerp horen, zijn te vinden op de pagina Limenitis arthemis op Wikimedia Commons.

Карта ареала
Красный: подвид L. a. arthemis
Оранжевый: подвидL. arthemis astyanax
Жёлтый: район гибридизации между подвидами L. a. arthemis and L. a. astyanax
Зелёный: подвид L. a. arizonensis

Ареал включает территорию Северной Америки до западной Аляски.

• Limenitis arthemis arthemis,
• Limenitis arthmeis astyanax,
• Limenitis arthemis rubrofascitata
• Limenitis arthemis arizonensis

Галерея

• Гусеница

• Limenitis arthemis astyanax

• Limenitis arthemis astyanax

• Limenitis arthemis astyanax

• Limenitis arthemis arthemis

• Limenitis arthemis astyanax

• Limenitis arthemis arthemis

• Limenitis arthemis arthemis

• Limenitis arthemis arthemis

Примечания