Аполлон (Parnassius apollo): Распространение, особенности и изменчивость вида.

Species of butterfly

The Apollo or mountain Apollo (Parnassius apollo), is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae.

The species is named in the classical tradition for the deity Apollo.

This typically mountain species prefers hills and flowery alpine meadows and pastures of the continental European mountains, in Spain, Scandinavia and Central Europe, in the Balkans up to northern Greece and in the Alps between Italy and France. It is also present in some areas of the central Asia (Sakha). Typical of high altitudes, its range is from up to , although it is far more present above
This species requires specific climatic conditions (cold winter, sunny summer). It also requires wide open spaces (with a cover of shrubs less than 5%) and a large surface of lawns (at least 50%). The presence of the host plant for the caterpillars is critical.

Parnassius apollo has a wingspan of in males, of in females. The Apollo butterfly shows a great deal of individual variation in the appearance, with an evident colour polymorphism. These very large, beautiful and conspicuous white butterflies are decorated with five large black eyespots on the forewing and two bright red or sometimes orange eyespots on the hindwing. These striking red eyespots can vary in size and form depending on the geographic location of the Apollo butterfly, and the bright red colour often fades in the sun, causing the eyespots of older individuals to appear more orange. some individuals are darker (sphragismelanistic), a general phenomenon common in many butterflies. The caterpillars of this species are velvety black with orange red spots along the sides.

The drastic climate change of the Pleistocene era forced a separation of the red Apollo butterfly population. This in turn played a role in creating the distinct colour changes seen in the species. The Parnassius apollo became divided and isolated in the Eurasian region during the glacial period. The large glaciers created a physical barrier between the population, barring interaction between the groups. Still within these isolated populations the butterflies migrated westward into portions of southern Europe where they settled and reproduced. Within all of these particular isolated populations there is also variation in the wing colour allele. There is variation in size between the isolated populations. With the larger separated populations of butterflies these habitats are used to sustain populations with larger amount of resources. These larger populations are called metapopulations and with the smaller separated sub populations they create a mainland island system. The Parnassius apollo can migrate from habitats and thus create a variation seen in each isolated population.

New environmental pressures lead to the selection of a better suited colour variant within these isolated populations. With this variety there is a correlation with extinction. In high variation environments there is cause for extinction in greater numbers of individuals. For example, there is high variation in the Swiss Alps and presently there is a high rate of individuals becoming extinct. One of the probable causes of extinction is the warming of the climate. It is said that the red Apollo is an "atypical glacial invader" and that with the warming of the climate in mountainous regions is causing the butterfly to not readily adapt to such an uncomfortable environment. During mating males deposit on the female's abdomen a gelatinous secretion called sphragis, that prevents the female mating a second time. In addition to this larval camouflage, the larva also shares in a form of Müllerian mimicry with a type of millipede, Glomeris (Glomeris guttata). Both animals share the characteristic orange spots and black body and a common habitat. The millipedes and caterpillars secrete a foul smelling odour to repel predators. Another form of defence is the taste of the butterfly. Similar to the monarch butterfly, the Apollo butterfly produces a repulsive taste to its predator. The butterfly seems to get this foul taste from its plant host, the Sedum stenopetalum. There is a bitter tasting cyanoglucoside, sarmentonsin, which is found in both the butterfly and the plant. There is a much higher concentration of sarmentonsin in the wings as opposed to the rest of the body. The high concentration in the wings indicates that the wings of the butterfly would taste much worse comparatively. A common predator, nesting water pipits, have evolved a strategy to avoid the poor taste of the butterfly; the bird will remove the wings before consuming the body. In theory, this will get rid of the poor tasting elements of the butterfly, leaving only the nutritious body.

This species is of interest to entomologists due to the variety of subspecies, often only restricted to a specific valley in the Alps. The beautiful Apollo butterfly has long been prized by collectors, who aim to possess as many of the variants as possible. While over collecting is believed to have caused populations to decline in some areas, such as in Spain and Italy, habitat change is thought to be a far more significant threat to this species' survival. In Finland, the Apollo was one of the first species of insects declared endangered. The Apollo population in Finland and Sweden decreased drastically during the 1950s. The reason for this is not known, but it is commonly thought to be because of a disease. In Sweden, it is now restricted to areas that have limestone in the ground, suggesting that the decrease could hypothetically be related to acid rain. Laws exist to protect the Apollo butterfly in many countries. The Apollo is on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, in Appendix II in CITES, In south west Germany, conservationists are working with shepherds to ensure favourable conditions for the butterflies, which share their grassland habitat with sheep. For example, grazing periods have been shifted to avoid the Apollo butterfly larvae stage, which is vulnerable to being trampled. The Apollo butterfly has many subspecies around the world, and some European subspecies are showing an alarming decline in numbers. This is mainly caused by habitat destruction, air pollution affecting the insect's food plants, and butterfly collectors. The Apollo butterfly is also more vulnerable to predators as it spends two years as a caterpillar.