2009 photos highlighted in yellow. Click on any photo to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.
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| 14564_sex?_Var_14Apr09 | 14829_sex?_Var_01May09 |
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Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina)
2009 photos highlighted in yellow. Click on any photo to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.
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| 14564_sex?_Var_14Apr09 | 14829_sex?_Var_01May09 |
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An intriguing butterfly, rather similar to its cousin, the Southern Festoon (Z. polyxena), with which it shares the same larval hostplant Aristolochia pistolochia (common name: Birthwort, or some species of Birthwort) or A. rotunda. Rumina has a European distribution limited to the Iberian peninsula (hence the English name) and extending east to southern France; polyxena has an easterly distribution extending west into Provence. The Var region is where they overlap and both can be seen. In 2005 I found one or two individuals but exploration of the surrounding area revealed a meadow where A. pistolochia was plentiful and, as is so often the case, so was rumina. In 2006 I found them in small numbers, often just singles, in a variety of locations, but in 2007 and 2008 did not see quite as many. 2009 seemed a slightly better year, so maybe the numbers fluctuate from year to year. It is an early season butterfly, single-brooded with a flight period of April-May.
The form medesicaste, with increased red markings on the hindwing submargins and in the hindwing basal area, is supposedly common, and may well be the predominant form in southern France. I believe that all of the below are of this form.
14564: possibly a female on the basis of what is just visible of the body shape. The left side seems quite fresh while the right side seems to have had some scale loss. Altitude 220m.
14829: almost impossible to tell which sex. This must be quite a fresh specimen as there seems little scale loss. Altitude 220m.
0665: a standard medesicaste, with strong red markings. Altitude 185m.
05_05-01: an old photo, but a fairly fresh specimen, showing the darker red colour (as compared to 0665).
0147: a female, but I wonder if this may not be medesicaste, even though the red uph submarginal spots are quite large, but there are no red markings on the upf. This may be due to wear (do they lose the red scales more easily?), but there is no great sign of wear elsewhere. Altitude 185m.
