(Herbst, 1798)
False Apollo
Description:
The False Apollo can be found in the early spring in sheltered places in olive groves, vineyards, on rocky slopes with bushes, and in open woodland. They are also seen in damp places, such as stream margins. The decline of the False Apollo is mainly due to the intensification of agriculture, leading to the use of pesticides and an increase in the area under cultivation.
They use various birthworts (Aristolochia spp.) as larval food plants, such as Birthwort (A. clematitis), and on Samos and Lesbos, A. bodamae. Unlike other Papilionidae, the caterpillars cannot be seen on the food plants, as they live hidden in a spun leaf.
The False Apollo has one generation a year and passes the winter in the pupal stage in the ground.
Habitat:
Heath and shrub
Sclerophyllous scrub
Similar species:
Unmistakable