Papilio alexanor Esper, 1800


Papilio alexanor: Adult (e.o. Provence, France) [S] Papilio alexanor: Adult (e.o. Provence, France) [S] Papilio alexanor: Adult (e.o. Provence, France) [S] Papilio alexanor: Male (SE-France, Hautes-Alpes, Haute-Durance, June 2017) [N] Papilio alexanor: Male (SE-France, Hautes-Alpes, Haute-Durance, June 2017) [N] Papilio alexanor: Male (SE-France, Hautes-Alpes, Haute-Durance, June 2017) [N] Papilio alexanor: Male (SE-France, Hautes-Alpes, Haute-Durance, June 2017) [N] Papilio alexanor: Lower side /e.o. Provence, egg 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: Adult (Greece, Samos, Pirgos, late May 2014) [N] Papilio alexanor: Adult (e.l. rearing, Samos Island, larva in late June 2016)  [S] Papilio alexanor: Adult (e.l. rearing, Samos Island, larva in late June 2016) [S] Papilio alexanor: Adult (Greece, Samos, Pirgos, late May 2014) [N] Papilio alexanor: Adult (Samos, May 2009) [N] Papilio alexanor: Egg on Opopanax hispidus (Greece, Samos Island, Spatharei, May 2017) [N] Papilio alexanor: Egg on Opopanax hispidus (Greece, Samos Island, Spatharei, May 2017) [N] Papilio alexanor: Egg on Opopanax hispidus (Greece, Samos Island, Spatharei, May 2017) [N] Papilio alexanor: Ovum at Ptychotis saxifraga (Provence, France, June 2009) [N] Papilio alexanor: Ovae at Ptychotis saxifraga (Provence, France, June 2009) [N] Papilio alexanor: Ovum (detail, Provence, June 2009) [N] Papilio alexanor: Ovum after some days (Provence, June 2009) [N] Papilio alexanor: Ovum prior to hatching (Provence, June 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: First-instar-larva on Opopanax hispidus (Greece, Samos Island, Spatharei, May 2017) [S] Papilio alexanor: L1 (e.o. Provence, June 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: L1 (e.o. Provence, June 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: L1 (e.o. Provence, June 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: L1 in moult rest into L2 (e.o. Provence, June 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: L2-larva (e.o. Provence, June 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: L2 lateral (e.o. Provence, June 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: L3 lateral view (e.o. Provence, June 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: L3 (e.o. Provence, June 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: Larva at the beginning of the penultimate instar (e.o. Provence, June 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: Larva at the beginning of the penultimate instar (e.o. Provence, 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: Larva at the end of the penultimate instar (e.o. Provence, 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: Larva at the end of the penultimate instar (e.o. Provence, 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: Larva in last instar (e.o. Provence, 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: Larva in last instar (e.o. Provence, 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: Larva in last instar (e.o. Provence, 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: Larva in last instar (e.o. Provence, 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: Larva in last instar (e.o. Provence, 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: Head (e.o. Provence, 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: Half-grown larva (Greece, Samos Island, May 2018) [N] Papilio alexanor: Half-grown larva (Greece, Samos Island, May 2018) [N] Papilio alexanor: Half-grown larva (Greece, Samos Island, May 2018) [N] Papilio alexanor: Half-grown larva (Greece, Samos Island, May 2018) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larva (Greece, Samos Island, May 2018) [S] Papilio alexanor: Larva (Greece, Samos Island, May 2018) [S] Papilio alexanor: Larva (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larva (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larva (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larva (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larva (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larva (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larva (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larva (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larva (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larva (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larva (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larva (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [N] Papilio alexanor: Half-grown larva (Greece, N-Peloponnese, late May 2017) [N] Papilio alexanor: Half-grown larva (Greece, N-Peloponnese, late May 2017) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larva (Greece, N-Peloponnese, late May 2017) [M] Papilio alexanor: Larva (Greece, N-Peloponnese, late May 2017) [M] Papilio alexanor: Pupa (e.o. Provence, 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: Pupa lateral (e.o. Provence, 2009) [S] Papilio alexanor: Pupa (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [S] Papilio alexanor: Pupa (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [S] Papilio alexanor: Pupa outside a window of a chapel (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [N] Papilio alexanor: Pupa outside a window of a chapel (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [N] Papilio alexanor: Ptychotis saxifraga with eggs (flowering season will start in about 2 weeks, Provence, 2009) [N] Papilio alexanor: Ptychotis saxifraga with eggs (Provence-Alpes, June 2009) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larval habitat in the Haute-Provence, France in June 2009 [N] Papilio alexanor: Larval habitat with Opopanax hispidus on a road side (Greece, Samos Island, May 2018) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larval habitat with Opopanax hispidus on a road side (Greece, Samos Island, May 2018) [N] Papilio alexanor: Habitat (Greece, Samos Island, May 2018) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larval habitat, larva on Opopanax hispidus (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larval habitat, larva on Opopanax hispidus (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larval habitat with Opopanax hispidus (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larval habitat with Opopanax hispidus (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larval habitat with Opopanax hispidus (Samos Island, Pirgos, late June 2016) [N] Papilio alexanor: Habitat in Samos (patrolling males, May 2009) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larval habitat (Greece, N-Peloponnese, late May 2017) [N] Papilio alexanor: Larval habitat (Greece, N-Peloponnese, late May 2017) [N] Papilio alexanor: Habitat (Greece, N-Peloponnese, late May 2017) [N] Papilio alexanor: Habitat (France, Hautes-Alpes, Haute-Durance, mid-June 2017) [N]

Host plants:
The caterpillars feed on various Apiaceae. This can lead to the formation of regional preferences. So the caterpillar feeds in Provence mostly on Ptychotis saxifraga. Another preferred genus is Opopanax. In Samos Island I found larvae only on Opopanax hispidus. In Greece (e.g. Samos) larvae also occur on Ferula communis.

Habitat:
The caterpillars live mostly on plants that grow above especially hot gravel and open ground, as embankments, quarries and rocky slopes. Overall, Papilio alexanor inhabits mostly grasslands slopes with the larval habitats on special spots which are often interspersed with loose bushes.
In Samos Island the larvae can be recorded in roadside verges, woodland margins, open olive groves, rocky slopes and embankments with Opopanax hispidus.

Life cycle:
The adults fly in a single generation from late April to July. In Samos in 2009, the butterflies appeared in the first week of May. I found the eggs in Provence quite numerous about in mid-June. The caterpillar lives depending on the location from late May to early August. Pupation generally takes place on rocks, under stones or in cracks and crevices. In Samos Island I found a pupa in 2 metres height on the wall above a window outside a chapel. The pupa is therefore clearly flattened and hibernates.

Endangerment factors:
Papilio alexanor is threatened at the sometimes very local sites by bush encroachment and reforestation, overgrazing, tourism and in some places also through intensification (vineyards, etc.). In Greece and Turkey, the sites are less at risk.

Remarks:
The distribution is now split up like islands in Europe: Provence and a few spots in the adjacent NW-Italy, Southern Italy (northern Sicily and Aspromonte), Croatia, the southern Balkan Peninsula. Furthermore, Papilio alexanor occurs across Asia Minor and Israel to Pakistan, Afghanistan and Kazakhstan.



Papilio hospiton | Papilio machaon