| Poplar Admiral | |
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| Species: | L. populi |
| Binomial name | |
| Limenitis populi (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
The poplar admiral (Limenitis populi) is a butterfly in the Limenitidine clade of the family Nymphalidae.
Poplar Admiral habitat is widespread in continental Europe and many areas in Asia. The large, seldom-seen Poplar Admiral is one of the biggest butterflies in Europe. It is found in deciduous forests, where aspen (Populus tremula) or black poplar (Populus nigra) trees grow. This is because the caterpillar only eats the leaves of these species of tree. In altitude, for instance in the Alps, where there are not large Populus forests, they accommodate with a grove, in the southeast of France they can be seen flying in large open spaces, for instance in the department of Alpes-Maritimes, as noted by Jacques Rigout. [1] The males are easier to find. The females are rarer, because they tend to stay in the tops of the trees and seldom venture to the ground (see above).
The wingspan in spread specimens varies for the males from 66 to 77 mm, and for the females from 82 to 85 mm, all mesures done on the larger private collection of Limenitis populi, now in the hands of Jean-Claude Weiss, the well-known specialist of Parnassius . In fact the specimens in the field are relatively of the same size, the difference in measures are mainly because some sub-species are larger or smaller than other ones, it does not mean the size of this species is so variable in one location. It exists some specimens very small, about half size, but they are issued from breedings. So it is a noticeable difference in size between genders. The females have distinct broad white lines over their back wings. On the males the lines are narrower and fainter, and sometimes are not there at all. The upper surface is dark brown with white spots. The white stripe is surrounded by orange and blue borders. The underside is orange.
They are attracted to foul smells, such as those given off by carrion or dung. The butterflies use their proboscis to draw important minerals from the sap of trees, from the ground or also from sweat. They do not visit flowers. An important study about the life of this species in central France has been done by Jacques Boudinot. [2]
The butterflies feed on aspens, and occasionally also black poplars in warm, wind-free locations. It is there that they lay their green eggs on the top side of the leaves.
Many errors in the literature still persits, such as Eugen Niculescu who described the egg with ribs. [3] In fact the egg is covered with hollow polygons as seen on photos in the book of Yukio Tabuchi. [4] The duration of the egg stage is 7 days, not 14 as E. Niculescu writes (l.c.). [5]
Georg Dorfmeister was the first who described and figured the caterpillar (and the chrysalid). [6]
Ekkehard Friedrich describes clearly the early stages of the young larva. [7]
In Europe, caterpillars feed on aspen trees: Populus tremula and P. nigra (not on P. alba). In Japan, they eat Populus maximowiczii (Tabuchi), the Japanese subspecies even accept many varieties of willow (Salix sp.) in captivity as experimented by Ekkehard Friedrich. [8] In August the caterpillars, which are still quite small, make a cocoon from a leaf that they cut out and roll up. They spend the winter in this cocoon and then emerge from it before the leaves come out in the spring.
The green caterpillar has black and brown shades. Its head is reddish brown, and its sides are black. First it eats the leaf buds, then the new leaves. Pupation takes place in June in a leaf that is lightly spun together.
As a general rule hatching occurs from 3rd week of June to mid-July, although some have been known to leave as early as May (which is often the case in Japan). In France the record dates of the fly period is from the 30th May (in 1971) to the 16th of August (in 1974). Male are seen first, the female stay at the top of the trees and are sometimes found on the ground about two weeks lately, only in the morning, often when the males are no more seen. The fact is at the end of the fly period, only females are seen (the questions could be: are the males hatching before the females or are the males having a shorter life?). Male flight can be very fast, the female fly is quite slow, somewhat like a glider.
Limenitis populi has never seen coupling naturally in captivity. The manual coupling is described by Marion Weidemann, [9] this is the Austin Platt's method which consists to partially suffocate the male (anaesthetize in a cyanide bottle) before hand pairing (Dr. A. Platt specialized on North American Limenitis species).
For those who would be interested in the rearing of this species, here is a passage from a letter of T. Takakura dating from 1975. This Japanese entomologist was the first to do the crossing between Apatura iris and Apatura ilia . "The equipment I use is very simple: a corrugated cardboard box per female. The top is covered tightly with a piece of tulle. The female is fed on honey and water (about 5%, never over 10%) in a cotton pad placed on the tulle. Putting the poplar (P. nigra) or aspen (P. tremula) leaves on the bottom of the box may be useful but not indispensable, because few eggs are laid on them. the box and female should be kept at 25 to 30 degrees C (28°C appears best) and room light is enough… Eggs are laid irregularly on the bottom of walls, sometimes on the tulle. I usually remove the eggs at night by means of sharp-pointed scissors and a knife by cutting around the egg and carefully peel the patch off cardboard paper. The eggs collected this way are put into an air-tight plastic container with leaves of poplar or aspen. In two or three days infertile eggs will begin to shrink, while fertile eggs may be stored as they are until hatching is imminent. Spraying should be avoid, as inside of an air-tight container is apt to get moldy. But above anything else, you must have potted poplars and aspens for a successful management of this method".
The species is known to occur in western Europe from Denmark to northern Italy (the Spanish record noted by Miguel-Angel Gomez Bustillo [10] is doubtful), then Germany to Greece, Russia to Japan including China. Jacques Rigout has published precise distribution maps in France of this butterfly. [11] The study was done by listing the data of the specimens preserved in the Paris Museum, those in the British Museum and the captures done by the French entomologists. The distribution since seems to be rather reduced (no more seen in Forêt de Mormal - North of France - the last 20 years where it was a relatively common species).
An uncommon method has been used to attract the butterfly in putting to the end of a pole a representation in paper of the butterfly. Walking this lure, several butterflies came to see this "colleague", including a female. This is a similar method experimented recently by Jamie Weir on a common butterfly. [12]
The now rare Poplar Admiral is a protected species. The species is endangered primarily due to the clearing of forests containing the trees that they must feed on to survive. Conifer species are more interesting financially to exploit.
Other names are for aberrations:
Some very good photographs have been published in the journal Lambillionea . [32]
Populus is a genus of 25–30 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar, aspen, and cottonwood.
Populus section Populus, of the Populus (poplar) genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by contrast, is native to warmer regions, with hot, dry summers. These trees are all medium-sized deciduous trees ranging 15–30 metres (49–98 ft) tall.
Papilio glaucus, the eastern tiger swallowtail, is a species of butterfly native to eastern North America. It is one of the most familiar butterflies in the eastern United States, ranging north to southern Ontario, Canada, and is common in many different habitats. It flies from spring until fall, during which it produces two to three broods. Adults feed on the nectar of many species of flowers, mostly from those of the families Apocynaceae, Asteraceae, and Fabaceae. P. glaucus has a wingspan measuring 7.9 to 14 cm. The male is yellow with four black "tiger stripes" on each forewing. Females may be either yellow or black, making them dimorphic. The yellow morph is similar to the male, but with a conspicuous band of blue spots along the hindwing, while the dark morph is almost completely black.
Nymphalis antiopa, known as the mourning cloak in North America and the Camberwell beauty in Britain, is a large butterfly native to Eurasia and North America.
The viceroy is a North American butterfly. It was long thought to be a Batesian mimic of the monarch butterfly, but since the viceroy is also distasteful to predators, it is now considered a Müllerian mimic instead.
Limenitis arthemis, the red-spotted purple or white admiral, is a North American butterfly species in the cosmopolitan genus Limenitis. It has been studied for its evolution of mimicry, and for the several stable hybrid wing patterns within this nominal species; it is one of the most dramatic examples of hybridization between non-mimetic and mimetic populations.
Lorquin's admiral is a butterfly in the Nymphalinae subfamily. The butterfly is named after Pierre Joseph Michel Lorquin, a French naturalist who came to California from France during the Gold Rush, and made important discoveries on the natural history of the terrain.
Apatura ilia, the lesser purple emperor, is a species of butterfly native to most of Europe and east across the Palearctic. It is named for its similarity to the purple emperor butterfly.
Populus tremuloides is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, one of several species referred to by the common name aspen. It is commonly called quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen, mountain or golden aspen, trembling poplar, white poplar, and popple, as well as others. The trees have tall trunks, up to 25 metres tall, with smooth pale bark, scarred with black. The glossy green leaves, dull beneath, become golden to yellow, rarely red, in autumn. The species often propagates through its roots to form large clonal groves originating from a shared root system. These roots are not rhizomes, as new growth develops from adventitious buds on the parent root system.
Populus tremula is a species of poplar native to cool temperate regions of the Old World.
Cerura vinula, the puss moth, is a lepidopteran from the family Notodontidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Furcula furcula, the sallow kitten, is a moth from the family Notodontidae. It was first described by the Swedish entomologist Carl Alexander Clerck in 1759 from a specimen found in Sweden.
The scarce fritillary is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Sweden. and East across the Palearctic to Mongolia.
Laothoe amurensis, the aspen hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae.
Limenitis reducta, the southern white admiral, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.
The March dagger moth is a moth of the subfamily Chimabachinae. It is found in Europe and was first described by Michael Denis & Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775.
Batrachedra praeangusta is a moth of the family Batrachedridae which is native to Europe. It is also found in North America. It was first described by Adrian Haworth in 1828 from the type specimen found in England. The foodplants of the larvae are poplars and willows.
Chrysomela populi is a species of broad-shouldered leaf beetle belonging to the family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Chrysomelinae.
Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section Populus, of the Populus genus.
Populus × canescens, the grey poplar, is a hybrid between Populus alba and P. tremula. It is intermediate between its parents, with a thin grey downy coating on the leaves, which are much less deeply lobed than the leaves of P. alba. It is a very vigorous tree with marked hybrid vigour, reaching 40 metres tall and with a trunk diameter over 1.5 m (5 ft) – much larger than either of its parents. Most trees in cultivation are male, but female trees occur naturally and some of these are also propagated.