Battus polydamas

Battus polydamas(Battus polydamas)

Phylum —arthropoda
Class —insecta
Order — lepidoptera
Family —papilionidae

Genus –battus

Appearance

The caterpillars are yellowish-gray to brown in color with thin black stripes. Each segment of the caterpillar has a pair of outgrowths.

The wingspan is 90 to 120 mm (3.5 to 4.7 in) without the tail. The top of the wings are black with a broad submarginal band formed by large yellow spots. The undersides of the forewings have the same pattern, while the hindwings have a submarginal row of red lunules.

Habitat

It is found in the Neotropical realm of South America, the southeastern U.S., and Mexico.

Behavior

It demonstrates daily activity. The butterflies flap their front wings slightly when feeding. The flight is fast and swift. Like other caterpillars of this family, the caterpillar has an osmetrium – a gland behind the head extends in danger and look like long orange-red "horns".

This butterfly flies from April to November in three generations in the north of its range, throughout the year in several generations in the tropics.

Diet

Battus polydamas adults feed on nectar from a variety of flowers and are reported to be particularly fond of the flowers of the common exotic weed Lantana camara L.

Reproduction

For their reproduction you need a terrarium with a size of 50 x 50 x 70 cm. The females lay their eggs in groups on the stems or young leaves of the forage plant. The eggs are approximately 1 mm in diameter, and their color varies from yellow to orange.The incubation period is 4-6 days. The caterpillars feed on kirkazon.Forage plants should be replaced every 3-4 days.It is better to keep the caterpillars in mesh terrariums of 6-8 pieces. In the terrarium, you need to place a branch of a forage plant. The owner should maintain room temperature and humidity 60-70%. The caterpillar develops for 19-24 days. The pupae are brown or green with a lighter spot on the underside. The butterfly leaves the pupa after 2-3 weeks.

In captivity

The mesh terrarium with a size of 50 × 50 × 70 mm is suitable for keeping butterflies. Room temperature is necessary. Daylight time is 12 hours. You can feed the butterflies with an overripe banana or give them a syrup of honey diluted with boiled water in a ratio of 1:10.