Nymphalidae : Apaturinae
Purple Emperor
APATURA iris (Linnaeus, 1758)
Purple Emperor
APATURA iris (Linnaeus, 1758)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 62-74mm
Worldwide Distribution: Central & S.E.Europe : Siberia : China : Korea : Japan
UK Distribution: Restricted to the deciduous woodlands of Central & Southern England
UK Conservation Status -
Flight Period: Mid June-Mid August-Univoltine
Habitat: Mature broad-leaved woodland with clearings and rides with Willow either side of the track.
Ovum: The female deposits the ovum on the leaves of the larger Sallows, usually situated along the edges of rides in the forest, situated in partial shade.She usually deposits about a dozen singly laid eggs on the upperside of the Sallow leaves.
The upside down pudding shaped egg is green when first deposited but soon develops a purple band around the base.
Larva: August-end June : The young caterpillar sits on the tip of the Sallow leaf facing inwards,a pose it keeps for its entire cycle.They soon develop the infamous horns that characterise this charming larva, before causing the leaf damage that is so recognisable in late summer.
Into the second moult they turn brown before leaving the leaf to spend the winter in the fork of a branch.
In spring they resume feeding and in June they leave to pupate.
Pupa: Pupation takes place some distance from the feeding site where the pupa is formed beneath another leaf.
Overwinters as: Young larva
Observations: As our second largest, the Purple Emporer is the most sought after butterfly in Britain and as the name suggests is thought of regally by amateur and professional lepidopterists alike. It is certainly “The Highest in the land” amidst the canopy of the broad-leaved forests in Central Southern England where it feeds on aphid honeydew before sometimes coming down from on high to search for females along the tops of Sallows, usually during the course of the morning.
To see this magnificent butterfly on the rare occasion when it does come down from the canopy to take salts from the ground,sap from a tree or feed from animal feces is to encounter the ultimate butterfly experience, something I have only done four or five times.
My first encounter in the Alice Holt Forest near Bordon in Hampshire will stay with me the rest of my life as I spent about five minutes with the individual, shown in the photos below,an experience that moved me to tears of joy when I arrived home,not something a grown man likes to admit, but such was this momentous experience for me.
This in part is the report I sent to Hants and IOW Butterfly Conservation:-
"Today was one of those lifetime experiences for me when I saw up close my first Purple Emperor.
With the thoughts of Purple Emperor and White Admiral I decided upon the Straits Enclosure yet again. The dream came true. 150 Metres into the ride I was totally amazed when there, taking minerals salts from the path, I saw my first ever grounded Purple
Emperor.
With everything shaking I moved closer to the specimen, taking shots, before I was joined by Steve who had seen the individual further up the ride and later by Adam . The male sat there for some 3, 4, 5 (who knows about time when the mind is so focused) minutes before flying off along the ride.
I then walked the ride with the wonderfully interesting Adam as we watched and talked butterflies, exchanging experiences on the way. Still hyper from the experience I can only say White Admirals, Silver washed Fritillaries , Comma’s , Red Admirals, Ringlets , Meadow Browns and Skippers where in profusion.
This day will be cemented in my memory forever; such is the experience of spending time next to such a gorgeous butterfly".
Colonies of this butterfly are generally small comprising no more than a couple of dozen specimens covering quite a large area of the forest where sighting are generally achieved at certain areas like the "master tree" where males congregate to chase each other in a territorial show of flight, also chasing after anything passing, like birds and insects.The final photo below shows a male Purple Emperor chasing a bee, a photo that was planned but not expected to achieve.
Worldwide Distribution: Central & S.E.Europe : Siberia : China : Korea : Japan
UK Distribution: Restricted to the deciduous woodlands of Central & Southern England
UK Conservation Status -
- Notable ( Nb - 1980/93 ) = 31 - 100 10Km Squares
- Near threatened
- Least Concern
- Papilio iris (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Papilio iris (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Germany and England
Flight Period: Mid June-Mid August-Univoltine
Habitat: Mature broad-leaved woodland with clearings and rides with Willow either side of the track.
Ovum: The female deposits the ovum on the leaves of the larger Sallows, usually situated along the edges of rides in the forest, situated in partial shade.She usually deposits about a dozen singly laid eggs on the upperside of the Sallow leaves.
The upside down pudding shaped egg is green when first deposited but soon develops a purple band around the base.
Larva: August-end June : The young caterpillar sits on the tip of the Sallow leaf facing inwards,a pose it keeps for its entire cycle.They soon develop the infamous horns that characterise this charming larva, before causing the leaf damage that is so recognisable in late summer.
Into the second moult they turn brown before leaving the leaf to spend the winter in the fork of a branch.
In spring they resume feeding and in June they leave to pupate.
Pupa: Pupation takes place some distance from the feeding site where the pupa is formed beneath another leaf.
Overwinters as: Young larva
Observations: As our second largest, the Purple Emporer is the most sought after butterfly in Britain and as the name suggests is thought of regally by amateur and professional lepidopterists alike. It is certainly “The Highest in the land” amidst the canopy of the broad-leaved forests in Central Southern England where it feeds on aphid honeydew before sometimes coming down from on high to search for females along the tops of Sallows, usually during the course of the morning.
To see this magnificent butterfly on the rare occasion when it does come down from the canopy to take salts from the ground,sap from a tree or feed from animal feces is to encounter the ultimate butterfly experience, something I have only done four or five times.
My first encounter in the Alice Holt Forest near Bordon in Hampshire will stay with me the rest of my life as I spent about five minutes with the individual, shown in the photos below,an experience that moved me to tears of joy when I arrived home,not something a grown man likes to admit, but such was this momentous experience for me.
This in part is the report I sent to Hants and IOW Butterfly Conservation:-
"Today was one of those lifetime experiences for me when I saw up close my first Purple Emperor.
With the thoughts of Purple Emperor and White Admiral I decided upon the Straits Enclosure yet again. The dream came true. 150 Metres into the ride I was totally amazed when there, taking minerals salts from the path, I saw my first ever grounded Purple
Emperor.
With everything shaking I moved closer to the specimen, taking shots, before I was joined by Steve who had seen the individual further up the ride and later by Adam . The male sat there for some 3, 4, 5 (who knows about time when the mind is so focused) minutes before flying off along the ride.
I then walked the ride with the wonderfully interesting Adam as we watched and talked butterflies, exchanging experiences on the way. Still hyper from the experience I can only say White Admirals, Silver washed Fritillaries , Comma’s , Red Admirals, Ringlets , Meadow Browns and Skippers where in profusion.
This day will be cemented in my memory forever; such is the experience of spending time next to such a gorgeous butterfly".
Colonies of this butterfly are generally small comprising no more than a couple of dozen specimens covering quite a large area of the forest where sighting are generally achieved at certain areas like the "master tree" where males congregate to chase each other in a territorial show of flight, also chasing after anything passing, like birds and insects.The final photo below shows a male Purple Emperor chasing a bee, a photo that was planned but not expected to achieve.
Photo Gallery
Larval Food Plants Worldwide
Note - Plants hyperlinked in red below take the visitor to the relevant plant page on"Plants for a Future" website
where further information like photos,physical
characteristics,habitats,edible uses,medicinal
uses,cultivation,propagation,range,height etc. are clearly listed.
- Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
- Salicaceae - Willow Family
- Populus tremula - Aspen Poplar
- Salix alba - White Willow
- Salix aurita - Eared Sallow
- Salix caprea - Goat Willow
- Salix cinerea - Grey Willow
- Salix fragilis - Crack Willow
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
- Betulaceae - Alnus - Alder
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
Larval Food Plants
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Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily Tribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species APATURA: Original Species Name: Species Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Forms/Aberrations: Subspecies: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Papilionoidea Nymphalidae Apaturinae Apaturini APATURA Fabricius, 1807 Apatura iris (Linnaeus, 1758) - Papilio iris (Linnaeus, 1758) - PAPILIO iris (Linnaeus, 1758) = Apatura suspirans Poda, 1761 = Papilio suspirans Poda, 1764 = Apatura iris f. jole Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775 = Papilio rubescens Esper, 1781 = Apatura junonia Borkhausen, 1788 = Papilio beroe Fabricius, 1793 = Apatura salicis Fabricius, 1807 = Apatura pallas Leech, 1890 = Apatura lutescens Schultz, 1904 = Apatura iris recidiva Stichel, 1909 = Apatura iris f. chrysina Oberthür, 1909 = Apatura pseudoiris Verity, 1913 - Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.476 n.110 - Germany : England - A.i. chattendeni Heslop & Stockley, 1961 A.i. deschangei Cabeau, 1910 A.i. iolata Cabeau, 1910 A.i. iole Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775 A.i. lugenda Cabeau, 1910 A.i. monophana Cabeau, 1919 A.i. obscura Sälzl, 1916 A.i. stictica Cabeau, 1910 A.i. chrysina Oberthür, 1909 - A.i. iris Linnaeus, 1758 - Nominate subspecies A.i. bieti Oberthür, 1885-Tibet : Western and central China A.i. xanthina Oberthür, 1909 A.i. kansuensis O. Bang-Haas, 1933 A.i. amurensis Stichel, 1909-Amur : Ussuri |