A population of rare swallowtail butterflies is forming in Belarusian Polesie
Belarusian scientists have noticed signs of a stable population of the rare heat-loving butterfly, the Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius), forming in the south of the country. Researchers associate its spread in Belarus with current climate warming.
This year, the zoological collection and genetic bank of wild fauna of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus were replenished with several specimens of Scarce Swallowtails.
The peculiarity of these findings is that the butterflies have completed their full development cycle in Belarus. Previously, Scarce Swallowtails were very rare here. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, no more than ten individuals of the summer generation were recorded in the country's territory.
However, this year alone, scientists in the Gomel region discovered more Scarce Swallowtails than had been recorded in all previous two centuries. In addition to adult butterflies, researchers found individuals of the spring generation, egg clutches, and traces of caterpillar activity.
All this indicates that in southern Belarus, including Polesie, Scarce Swallowtails can now not just appear temporarily, but reproduce and form a stable population.
Scarce Swallowtails belong to the family Papilionidae (swallowtails). These are large beautiful butterflies with a wingspan of up to 72 millimeters. Their wings have a light yellow main color, a black pattern in the form of wedge-shaped stripes, and a blue border.
The species received its name in honor of Podalirius — a hero of ancient Greek mythology, a famous doctor, son of Asclepius and Epione.
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