Archon apollinus (Herbst, 1798)

Host plants:
Aristolochia species such as Aristolochia bodamae (= Aristolochia hirta) in Samos.

Habitat:
Archon apollinus colonizes extensive cultural landscapes such as olive groves, orchards, roadsides and other places with the larval host plant. Archon apollinus is in most cases syntopical with Zerynthia cerisy which apears about two or three weeks later.
Archon apollinus is locally also found on mountain slopes, in open scrub and open riparian woodlands.

Life cycle:
The butterflies appear in March and April, rarely already in late February or even in early May. Occasionally they visit flowers, often those near the ground and often also unconspicuous ones. Males patrol for females, but sit down on the ground for warming up especially in cool weather or at the morning.
For oviposition the female flies for short distances within the larval habitat and lets fall itself down to the ground. There it searches for the host plant by crawling around. Dozens of such landings are usually necessary until the female succeeds. When found a sprouting Aristolochia, the eggs are deposited in groups (most often 3-15 eggs) on the ground below and around the plant on the underside of stones, litter like old leaves, wooden pieces, stems etc., but only rarely on the host plant itself. I recorded only one group of eggs on a stipule of Aristolochia on earth niveau. Optimal exposed plants may be occupied by several groups of eggs up to over 50 altogether. When deposited the eggs are bright green and change colour via yellowish green to grey before hatching.

Caterpillars can be found in April and May. They live young gregarious in leaf webs, older then individually in spun leaf bags, which is unique for European swallowtail butterflies. I met many larvae of all instars together with young caterpillars and adults of Zerynthia cerisy in early May 2009 in Samos in still many places from sea level up to about 800 m. The animals pupate in a loose weave just below the soil surface. The pupa often overwinters twice or even more.

Endangerment factors:
Archon apollinus is highly vulnerable at many of the few European sites. In particular, the intensification of agriculture with massive herbicide use in vineyards, olive groves, etc. leads to the decline of the butterfly. So I watched in Samos, where the Archon apollinus was observed still quite common, although often not in high abundance, numerous cases of sprayed Aristolochia plants which wasted away. It is questionable how long Archon apollinus can stand this intensification. Probably it will be pushed back more and more to local rest populations.

Remarks:
Archon apollinus is in Europe almost exclusively known from some eastern Aegean islands (Greece): Lesbos, Samos, Chios, Kos. In Rhodes, Archon apollinus is probably extinct (if it was ever native there), as well as possibly near Thessaloniki (northern Greece). In addition, evidence is known from Bulgaria. Archon apollinus is slightly less scarce from Turkey (also in the European part) and northeasternmost Greece across Israel to northern Iran. In Asia Minor it is in places even common.