Parides iphidamas

Iphidamas cattleheart
Male, dorsal view
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Papilionidae
Tribe:	Troidini
Genus:	Parides
Species:	P. iphidamas
Binomial name
Parides iphidamas (Fabricius, 1793)
Synonyms
Papilio iphidamas Fabricius, 1793

Parides iphidamas, the Iphidamas cattleheart or Transandean cattleheart, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae.^[1][2]

Subspecies

• P. i. iphidamas (Fabricius, 1793) (southern Mexico to Panama)^[3]
• P. i. ayabacensis (Joicey & Talbot, 1918) (southern Ecuador to northern Peru)^[3]
• P. i. calogyna (Rothchild & Jordan, 1906) (western Ecuador)^[3]
• P. i. elatos (Rothchild & Jordan, 1906) (northwestern Colombia)^[3]
• P. i. gorgonae Vélez & Salazar, 1991 (Colombia)^[3]
• P. i. phalias (Rothchild & Jordan, 1906) (central Colombia)^[3]
• P. i. teneates (Rothchild & Jordan, 1906) (northeastern Colombia to northwestern Venezuela)^[3]

Description

Ventral view of a Parides iphidamas laying an egg

Parides iphidamas has a wingspan of about 10 centimetres (3.9 in). The dorsal sides of the forewings are black, with a broad green and white spots (completely white in females), while the dorsal sides of the hindwings show a broad red band or spot. Along the edges there are many small yellow spots. The undersides of the wings are black with a white band on the forewings and several pink patches on the hindwings.^[4][5] The body of the butterfly is black with red dots. The poisonous caterpillars are chocolate brown, with white or brown protrusions resembling thorns. The host plants are various toxic Aristolochia species (A. cordiflora, A. maxima, A. odoratissma, A. pilosa, A. ringens, and A. tonduzii).^[3]

Distribution

This species is native to the Central and South America. It occurs from southeastern Mexico to Costa Rica, Panama, and Peru.

Ecozone

This butterfly lives in the Neotropical ecozone.

Habitat

It is common in various habitats, ranging from open lowlands to wooded areas and tropical forests from sea level to 1,200 meters (3,900 ft).^[6] Females mainly occur where the caterpillar host plant are located, in forest clearings and along forest edges.

References

1. Warren, A. D.; et al. (2010). "Parides iphidamas". Butterflies of America. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
2. Glassberg, Jeffrey (2007). A Swift Guide to the Butterflies of Mexico and Central America. Sunstreak Books Inc. ISBN 978-1-4243-0915-3.
3. Savela, Markku. "Parides iphidamas". funet.fi. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
4. Lewis, H. L., 1974 Butterflies of the World ISBN 0-245-52097-X Page 26, figure 11 (male) figure 12 (female, underside)
5. Brian McAndrew, Butterflies – James Lorimer & Co. Ltd Publishers
6. Collins, N. Mark; Collins, Michael G. (1985). Threatened Swallowtails of the World: The IUCN Red Data Book. IUCN Protected Area Programme Series. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, U.K.: IUCN. p. 69. ISBN 978-2-88032-603-6.

Further reading

• Lamas, Gerardo (2004). Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera; Checklist: Part4A Hesperioidea–Papilionoidea. Gainesville, Florida: Scientific Publishers, Inc. p. 93. ISBN 0-945417-28-4.