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Purple Emperor

Apatura iris

Photo by The MnMs
Published on Project Noah
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50.8087, 4.45185

Field Notes

Description:

Eurasian butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. Adults have dark brown wings with white bands and spots, and a small orange ring on each of the hindwings. Males have a wingspan of 70–80mm, and have an iridescent purple-blue sheen that the slightly larger (80–92mm) females lack.

Habitat:

Woodlands. Females spend most of their lives in the tree canopy, favouring dense and mature oak woodlands, coming down only to lay their eggs in the small sallow bushes that grow in clearings and rides.

Reference Links:

Apatura iris

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (4)
The MnMs
Yes, it is. I was also amazed by the color :-)
Sckel
Hi, Marta, this yellow thing is the proboscis? It looks so thick.
The MnMs
Thanks for the nice comment, Harum! Inside is blue but did not want to pose for me :-)

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Butterflies & Moths of the World
Mission
European Butterflies and Moths
Mission
Biodiversity in Belgium

Tags

Photographed
PublishedAugust 12, 2013

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