Phoebus Parnassian
Parnassius phoebus
Description Wingspan 2 3/8-3" (60-75 mm). Antennae black, ringed with white. Hind wings almost as long and broad as fore wings, rounded without angles or tails. Fore and hind wings ivory-white with red spot near front margin of fore wing and 2 red spots on hind wings; each spot encircled with black. Female has larger red spots; wings more heavily marked with gray. Caterpillar is black or
dark brown with many pale dots.
Life Cycle Caterpillar eats alpine arctic stonecrops and saxifrages.
Flight Mid-June to August.
Habitat Tundra, on mountains at low latitudes, or lowlands in high Arctic latitudes.
Range West of the Great Plains, from mid-California and New Mexico north to Alaska, Canadian Northwest Territories, and Alberta.
Discussion These tailless swallowtails are much admired but difficult to find in their lofty mountain habitats. Males appear 8-10 days before the females. They mate soon after the female emerges, often even before the female is able to fly. The caterpillars spin a few silk threads among litter on the ground for pupal shelters. There is 1 generation a year. The related Clodius Parnassian (P. clodius), same size, has black antennae and lacks red spots on the fore wings. It flies in midsummer from Alaska to central California and in the northern Rockies.
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