Parnassius glacialis
| Glacial Apollo | |
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| Paratype of P. g. shikokuensis from Isizuchi, Shikoku, Japan | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Papilionidae |
| Genus: | Parnassius |
| Species: | P. glacialis |
| Binomial name | |
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Parnassius glacialis Butler, 1866 |
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Parnassius glacialis, the glacial Apollo or Japanese clouded Apollo, is a high-altitude butterfly found in Japan, eastern China and Korea. It is a member of the snow Apollo genus (Parnassius) of the swallowtail family (Papilionidae).
It is much larger than Parnassius stubbendorfi of which it was once considered a subspecies. The blackish grey central spot of the cell is sometimes connected with the apical cell-spot by fuscous dusting along the sides of the cell, and the submarginal band of the forewing is more or less distinct and complete. Abdominal area of hindwing deep black as far as the cell, clothed with white hairs; on and along the veins blackish dusting. Collar, coxae and abdomen laterally clothed with yellow or reddish yellow hairs. Underside of wings slightly yellow. In some Japanese specimens (from Hakodate) the cell-spots and the submarginal band of the forewing have entirely disappeared, or are only very feebly indicated.
There are fifteen subspecies. P. glacialis has been treated as a subspecies of Parnassius stubbendorfi but this is disproved by Takashi et al. 2001 who show that the subspecies of glacialis from Korea and Japan may be one species while those from mainland China another.
For a list of subspecies types in the British Museum (Natural History), see Ackery, P. R. (1973) A list of the type-specimens of Parnassius (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) in the British Museum (Natural History). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) (Entomology) 29 (1) (9.XI.1973): 1—35, 1 pl. online here
It is found in eastern China, Korea and Japan.
This butterfly is quite common but threatened by urbanisation in some areas.
The Parnassius species of butterflies are often hard to identify and can sometimes only be identified by dissection of the genitalia. Ackery, P.R. (1975) provides a key available online.
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