David Element
Wildlife
Photography and Digital Video Images
___________________________________
________ ________________________Butterflies
53 – Spanish Swallowtails
SPANISH or SOUTHERN SCARCE SWALLOWTAIL
BUTTERFLY Iphiclides feisthamelii
·
The
Spanish Swallowtail Butterfly Iphiclides
feisthamelii is a very similar looking insect
to the Scarce Swallowtail Butterfly I. podalinus.
According to some references this insect was considered
to be a subspecies of the latter until recently when full species status
was conferred upon it. The two may be separated by subtle differences in ground
colour (white in I. feisthamelii and pale
yellow in summer brood I. podalinus) and
geographical distribution (I. feisthamelii is
to be found south of the Pyrenees). The rather tatty specimen shown in the
photograph was one of very few insects that the photographer was able to find (in
the grounds of a castle) during a short visit to Lisboa,
Portugal. Presumably it had survived one or more encounter with a hungry bird!
Swallowtail often get tatty quite quickly and their large wings are probably
also very easily damaged by contact with thorny vegetation.
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