Archon apollinus (Herbst, 1798)


Archon apollinus: Female (e.l. Samos) [S] Archon apollinus: Female (e.l. Samos) [S] Archon apollinus: Female [S] Archon apollinus: Female - hind wing-upper side [S] Archon apollinus: Female-lower side [S] Archon apollinus: Female - feigning death [S] Archon apollinus: Male [S] Archon apollinus: Male [S] Archon apollinus: Male - portrait [S] Archon apollinus: Male (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Male (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Male (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Male, feeding on a Geranium (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Male (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Male (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Male (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Female (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Female (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Female (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Female (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Female (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Female (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Female (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Female (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Female (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Female (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Female (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Female searching for oviposition place (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Female searching for oviposition place (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Female searching for oviposition place (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Female searching for oviposition place (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs, already some days old, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs, already some days old, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs, already some days old, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs, already some days old, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs, already some days old, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs, already some days old, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs, already some days old, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs, already some days old, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs, already some days old, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs prior to hatching, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs prior to hatching, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Group of eggs prior to hatching, substrate turned over (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: L1 larvae, climbed on the host plant directly after hatching(Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: L1 larvae, climbed on the host plant directly after hatching(Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: L1 larva (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: L1 larva (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Shelter of young larvae in the first instar (Greece, Samos island, late April 2019) [N] Archon apollinus: Young larvae in the end of the first instar (Greece, Samos island, late April 2019) [M] Archon apollinus: Young larvae in the end of the first instar (Greece, Samos island, late April 2019) [M] Archon apollinus: Young larvae in the first and one already in the second instar (Greece, Samos island, late April 2019) [M] Archon apollinus: Young larvae in the second instar (Greece, Samos island, late April 2019) [M] Archon apollinus: Half-grown larvae in the antepenultimate instar in a shared webbing (Samos, May 2009) [N] Archon apollinus: Half-grown larva in the antepenultimate instar (Samos, May 2009) [N] Archon apollinus: Larva in the penultimate instar (Greece, Samos Island, early May 2009) [M] Archon apollinus: Larva in the end of the penultimate instar(Samos, May 2009) [N] Archon apollinus: Larva in the penultimate instar in moult rest (Greece, Samos Island, early May 2009) [M] Archon apollinus: Larva (Greece, Samos Island, early May 2009) [M] Archon apollinus: Larva in last instar (Samos) [M] Archon apollinus: Larva (Greece, Samos Island, early May 2009) [M] Archon apollinus: Larva (Greece, Samos Island, early May 2009) [M] Archon apollinus: Larva in last instar (Samos) [M] Archon apollinus: Larva in last instar [S] Archon apollinus: Fully-grown larva: many individuals (but not all) show some white flecks als additional marking [S] Archon apollinus: Larvae on a dying host plant with glyphosate application (Samos, Kokkari, May 2017) [N] Archon apollinus: Larva on a dying host plant with glyphosate application (Samos, Kokkari, May 2017) [N] Archon apollinus: Pupa [S] Archon apollinus: Pupa (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, larva in early May 2009) [S] Archon apollinus: Pupa dorsal [S] Archon apollinus: Aristolochia bodamae with larvae in a olive grove in Samos [N] Archon apollinus: Plant with larval shelters [N] Archon apollinus: Larval shelter (Samos, May 2009) [N] Archon apollinus: Habitat in an open olive grove in Samos. In the background mount Kerkis (Kerketefs) [N] Archon apollinus: Habitat in an other place in Samos (May 2009) [N] Archon apollinus: Eggs on a turned substrate besides a host plant (Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Eggs on a turned substrate besides a host plant (Samos Island, early April 2022) [M] Archon apollinus: Larval habitat with not visible (because on the underside of substrate) eggs around a sprouting host plant (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Larval habitat with not visible (because on the underside of substrate) eggs around a sprouting host plant (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Larval habitat with not visible (because on the underside of substrate) eggs around a sprouting host plant (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Larval habitat (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Larval habitat (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Larval habitat (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Larval habitat (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Habitat (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Habitat (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Habitat (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Habitat (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Habitat (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N] Archon apollinus: Habitat (Greece, Samos Island, early April 2022) [N]

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.