Lesser Purple Emperor - Apatura ilia

Lesser Purple Emperor
Apatura ilia

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Male, Switzerland, June 2015

Apatura ilia

The same male, viewed from a slightly different angle

Apatura ilia

Male, nominate form, Switzerland, June 2018

Apatura ilia

Male, nominate form, with white admiral, Switzerland, June 2018

Apatura ilia

Male, nominate form, Switzerland, June 2018

Apatura ilia

Male, Nominate form, North Italy, June 2015

Apatura ilia form clytie

Male, form clytie, North Italy, June 2017

Apatura ilia form clytie

Male, form clytie, June 2017

Apatura ilia form clytie

The same male, showing just a hint of the purple

Apatura ilia

Male, nominate form, Switzerland, July 2016

Apatura ilia

Male, form clytie, North Italy, July 2013

Nominate form, July 2010, Switzerland

Male, nominate form, Switzerland, July 2012

The same male, at an angle that reveals no purple

Nominate form, July 2010, Switzerland

France, July 2006, form clytie

Here, the butterfly was at eye-level and I took the picture without seeing what I was taking...

This is the same butterfly from a different angle

I took this picture without seeing what I was taking too!!
I regret to say the head is mine.
This was in France, in July 2006.

This one landed on my father's hat

Lesser purple emperors are very docile.

Female, Val d'Aran, July 2002

Apatura ilia distribution

Distribution

This species is similar in appearance, habit and choice of habitat to the purple emperor, though it uses a broader range of foodplants, including various poplars and willows. Like the purple emperor, it is often to be seen in forest rides, where males may gather in good numbers at dung and carion (purple emperors are more often seen singly). It has an even stronger predilection for human bodily fluids and waste than that species, though, and I have often seen it hanging around the conveniences at roadside 'aires' and service stations in France. Although generally wary of humans it loses all fear once it has started feeding, whether on foulness by the path or on your body or clothes. The one shown on my head and hand, above - and on my father's hat - stayed with us as we walked and would probably have gone home with us if we hadn't eventually asked it to leave.

There are two common forms of this species, the nominate form and form clytie. Both are generally common but one or the other may prevail in a given locality. The nominate form is essentially similar to the purple emperor above, though both sexes have an orange ring around the dark spot in s.2 of the forewing and the white band on the hindwing lacks a central tooth. On the underside, the hindwing band is ill-defined outwardly and generally less prominent. Form clytie is entirely suffused with orange above, with just a few white dots towards the tip of the forewings. The hindwing band is even less well defined on the underside. In south-eastern Europe the very similar Freyer's purple emperor flies. This resembles form clytie but the dark centre to the eyespot on the forewing is much smaller and the markings on the hindwing upperside are more banded and well defined, with small orange spots in a dark post-discal band rather than large, dark spots in a broad, orange, submarginal band. This last distinction is a little fluid, however, as the large, dark spots may coalesce into a single, dark band.

I have yet to find the larvae, perhaps because the poplars where I most often see this butterfly are tall, with few low leaves. They are similar to those of the purple emperor but with brighter yellow stripes - particular the first pair of oblique stripes, which form a prominent, not-quite-joined 'v'. Like the purple emperor, this species hibernates as a caterpillar, but unlike that species it is commonly bivoltine in the warmer parts of its range, producing a second brood in August and September.