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Monday, June 22, 2009

Clouded apollo

Black apollo
Clouded apollo by alto.zver

The Clouded Apollo (Parnassius mnemosyne) is a butterfly species of the family of Swallowtail butterflies (Papilionidae) found in Eurasia.

Clouded Apollos inhabits meadows and woodland clearings with plenty of flowering plants, both in the lowlands and in the mountains. It is not usually found at altitudes above 1500m except in the Asian mountains where it is known also from higher altitudes.

Parnassius mnemosyne mnemosyne (Linnaeus, 1758)
Clouded apollo by nkis

Its range of distribution extends from the Pyrenees, across the Central Massif, the Alps, and the Carpathians as far as central Asia. It inhabits all European countries including Norway, where it appears rarely and only in certain places. A great number of different geographical races and individual forms are distinguished in this extensive region. The most striking specimens include the dark race from the eastern Bavarian Alps (ssp. hartmanni ); form melania has the most pronounced dark colouring.

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