Parnassius boedromius

Parnassius boedromius is a high-altitude butterfly found in Asia. It has a restricted range, known only along the borders of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Xinjiang, China. Formerly a subspecies of Parnassius simo. It is a member of the snow Apollo genus (Parnassius) of the swallowtail family (Papilionidae).

Parnassius boedromius
Female in the collection of the Ulster Museum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Papilionidae
Genus:	Parnassius
Species:	P. boedromius
Binomial name
Parnassius boedromius Püngeler, 1901

Description

Note: The wing pattern in Parnassius species is inconsistent and the very many subspecies and forms make identification problematic and uncertain. Structural characters derived from the genitalia, wing venation, sphragis and foretibial epiphysis are more, but not entirely reliable. The description given here is a guide only. For an identification key see Ackery P.R. (1975).[1]

Parnassius boedromius is distinguished by a reduction of the markings. On the forewing the discal band almost entirely absent, no red spots either above or below, ocelli vestigial.[2]

References

1. Ackery P.R. (1975) A guide to the genera and species of Parnassiinae (Lepidoptera:Papilionidae). Bull. Br. Mus. nat. Hist. (Ent.) 31, 4 pdf
2. Stichel in Seitz, 1906 (Parnassius). Die Groß-Schmetterlinge der Erde. Die Groß-Schmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes. Die palaearktischen Tagfalter, Stuttgart.

• Sakai S., Inaoka S., Toshiaki A., Yamaguchi S., Watanabe Y., (2002) The Parnassiology. The Parnassius Butterflies, A Study in Evolution, Kodansha, Japan.

Further reading

• sv:Parnassius boedromius Swedish Wikipedia provides further references and synonymy