Parides alopius

{{Speciesbox

| name = White-dotted cattleheart

| image = BCA – Parides alopius.jpg

| status =

| taxon = Parides alopius

| authority = (Godman & Salvin, 1890)

| range_map = Parides alopius range map.JPG

| synonyms =

}}

Parides alopius, the white-dotted cattleheart, is an endemic Mexican butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It has also strayed once into the United States in southeastern Arizona.Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman (2003). Butterflies of North America. Houghton Mifflin, New York, NY. {{ISBN|0-618-15312-8}}

Description

The upperside of the wings is black with the hindwing having two rows of submarginal spots: the first row, white; and the second row, pink. Males have fewer white spots than females. The underside of the wings are similar except the hindwing pink spots are more conspicuous. It has a wingspan of {{convert|3|-|3.5|in|abbr=on}}.A full description is provided by Rothschild, W. and Jordan, K. (1906)Rothschild, W. and Jordan, K. (1906). A revision of the American Papilios. Novitates Zoologicae 13: 411-752. (Facsimile edition ed. P.H. Arnaud, 1967) and [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/21926#page/425/mode/1up online]

Möhn, 2006, Butterflies of the World 26: 4, pl. 8, f. 7-12

[Edwin Möhn, 2006 Schmetterlinge der Erde, Butterflies of the world Part XXVI (26), Papilionidae XIII. Parides. Edited by Erich Bauer and Thomas Frankenbach Keltern : Goecke & Evers ; Canterbury : Hillside Books. ISBN 978-3-937783-27-7 (Supplement 13 in English - "Parides -an unending quest" by Racheli)]

Flight

This species has been seen on the wing from March to November.[http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1349 "White-dotted Cattleheart"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430200352/http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1349 |date=2009-04-30 }}, Butterflies and Moths of North America

Habitat

The white-dotted cattleheart may be encountered in pine-oak forests.

Life cycle

The larva is ringed with black and white bands and has yellow and reddish-brown fleshy projections. Each side of the body contains red, orange and white spots. The chrysalis is shaped very similar to that of the pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor). It is blue green with the head, parts of the thorax, and abdomen a bright yellow green. It is unknown whether the chrysalis has a brown form or not.[http://www.mariposamexicanas.com/parides_alopius.htm "Parides alopius"]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Mariposa Mexicanas

Host plants

The only recorded host plant for the white-dotted cattleheart is Watson's pipevine (Aristolochia watsonii).

Status

It is uncommon and known from very few localities, but is not known to be threatened.Tyler, H.A. (1975). The Swallowtail Butterflies of North America. Naturegraph Publishers, viii + 192 pp.

Parides alopius is a member of the ascanius species groupMöhn, Edwin (2006). Schmetterlinge der Erde, Butterflies of the World Part XXVI (26), Papilionidae XIII. Parides. Edited by Erich Bauer and Thomas Frankenbach Keltern: Goecke & Evers; Canterbury: Hillside Books. {{ISBN|978-3-937783-27-7}} (Supplement 13 in English - by Racheli) ("Fringe-spots white. Hindwing with submarginal spots and usnally also discal spots or dots, or a discal band; mostly with tail"). A quadrate whitish spot in space 2 of the forewings is quite peculiar of the ascanius groupRacheli, Tommaso an Olmisani. Luca 1998. A cladistic analysis of the genus Parides Hubner, [1819], based on androconial structures (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae). Neue Ent. Nachr. (Marktleuthen),41:119-131.[http://www.zobodat.at/stable/pdf/Neue-Entomologische-Nachrichten_41_0119-0131.pdf pdf]

The members are

:*Parides agavus (Drury, 1782)

:*Parides alopius (Godman & Salvin, [1890])

:*Parides ascanius (Cramer, [1775])

:*Parides bunichus (Hübner, [1821])

:*Parides gundlachianus (C. & R. Felder, 1864)

:*Parides montezuma (Westwood, 1842)

:*Parides phalaecus (Hewitson, 1869)

:*Parides photinus (Doubleday, 1844)

:*Parides proneus (Hübner, [1831])