54-475: Apatura iris , the purple emperor , is a Palearctic butterfly of the family Nymphalidae . 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 70–80 millimetres (2.8–3.1 in), and have a purple-blue sheen caused by iridescence that the slightly larger (80–92 mm) females lack. The larvae (caterpillars) are green with white and yellow markings, and have two large "horns" at
108-477: A biodiversity hotspot . In Southeastern Asia, high mountain ranges form tongues of Palearctic flora and fauna in northern Indochina and southern China . Isolated small outposts ( sky islands ) occur as far south as central Myanmar (on Nat Ma Taung , 3,050 m; 10,010 ft), northernmost Vietnam (on Fan Si Pan , 3,140 m; 10,300 ft) and the high mountains of Taiwan . The realm contains several important freshwater ecoregions as well, including
162-496: A local form, for which it appears expedient to introduce the name amurensis subsp. nov. — In bieti Oberth. the markings are brownish yellow in the male, and resemble in shape and position those of the European form; but the blackish spot in the anal area of the forewing is eye-like, having a blue pupil, the eye-spot of the hindwing is enlarged and this wing bears, besides median band two other brownish transverse bands situated in
216-633: A narrow belt along the Himalayas to cover mainland and island Southeast Asia as far as Sumatra , Java , Borneo , and Palawan . Finally, oaks of multiple sections ( Cyclobalanopsis , Ilex , Cerris , Quercus and related genera like Lithocarpus and Castanopsis ) extend across east Asia including China, Korea, and Japan. Potential records of Quercus have been reported from Late Cretaceous deposits in North America and East Asia. These are not considered definitive, as macrofossils older than
270-622: A pad of silk on a branch of the food-plant near a bud; in the spring (May) the third moult takes place, the body becomes leaf-green with yellow dots and side-stripes on the anterior segments, the head blue-green with red mandibles and white stripes, the horns green, anteriorly blue, edged with yellow laterally, reddish at the lip, forked; two reddish anal processes. Pupation the end of May or in June. Pupa compressed, bluish green or whitish, head with 2 projections, abdomen with yellowish oblique stripes, duration of pupal stage about 2 weeks. The butterfly at
324-414: A pole about 14 or 15 feet (about 4.5 metres) in length to capture them. Heslop et al . noted that the males' penchant for roadkill can often cause them to be killed by cars. They lay eggs in late summer on the upperside of sallow leaves, preferring the broad-leaved sallow, Salix caprea , but they will also use the narrow-leaved sallow, Salix atrocinerea , and various species of poplar . (Poplar
378-485: A range of flavours, colours, and aromas. The spongy bark of the cork oak is used to make traditional wine bottle corks. Almost a third of oak species are threatened with extinction due to climate change, invasive pests , and habitat loss . In culture, the oak tree is a symbol of strength and serves as the national tree of many countries. In Indo-European and related religions, the oak is associated with thunder gods . Individual oak trees of cultural significance include
432-508: A single oak tree produces both staminate ('male') flowers in the form of catkins , and small pistillate ('female') flowers, meaning that the trees are monoecious . The fruit is a nut called an acorn , borne in a cup-like structure known as a cupule ; each acorn usually contains one seed and takes 6–18 months to mature, depending on the species. The acorns and leaves contain tannic acid , which helps to guard against fungi and insects. There are some 500 extant species of oaks. Trees in
486-557: A small area of the west of Cuba ; in Mesoamerica it occurs mainly above 1000 metres. The genus crossed the isthmus of Panama when the northern and southern continents came together and is present as one species, Q. humboldtii , above 1000 metres in Colombia. The oaks of North America are of many sections ( Protobalanus , Lobatae , Ponticae , Quercus , and Virentes ) along with related genera such as Notholithocarpus . In
540-535: Is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus Quercus of the beech family . They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn , borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere; it includes some 500 species, both deciduous and evergreen . Fossil oaks date back to the Middle Eocene . Molecular phylogeny shows that the genus
594-506: Is a more common food plant in continental Europe than in the British Isles.) After hatching, the larvae will lie along the midrib of the leaf where they are well camouflaged, and feed only at night. During the winter they hibernate in the forks of sallow branches, where they change colour from green to brown to match their surroundings. (The larvae are variously stated to be reach 35–40 mm long when fully fed or 55–56 mm; it
SECTION 10
#1732797568670648-405: Is also one of the world's most endangered biogeographic regions; only 4% of the region's original vegetation remains, and human activities, including overgrazing , deforestation , and conversion of lands for pasture, agriculture, and urbanization, have degraded much of the region. Formerly the region was mostly covered with forests and woodlands, but heavy human use has reduced much of the region to
702-428: Is as follows: Central Europe, Southern England, southwards to Spain, North Italy, Dalmatia, Roumania, Bosnia; Asiatic Russia, Asia Minor (Amasia). — Egg cylindrical, ribbed, yellowish or greenish, somewhat tinged with red. Larva on Salix caprea (sallow), Salix cinerea and aurita ; when young brown, slug-like; after the first moult there appear 2 horns on the head, the colour becomes greenish; hibernates young on
756-471: Is divided into Old World and New World clades , but many oak species hybridise freely, making the genus's history difficult to resolve. Ecologically, oaks are keystone species in habitats from Mediterranean semi-desert to subtropical rainforest . They live in association with many kinds of fungi including truffles . Oaks support more than 950 species of caterpillar , many kinds of gall wasp which form distinctive galls , roundish woody lumps such as
810-452: Is from Old English ac (seen in placenames such as Acton , from ac + tun , "oak village" ), which in turn is from Proto-Germanic *aiks , "oak". Oaks are hardwood ( dicotyledonous ) trees, deciduous or evergreen, with spirally arranged leaves , often with lobate margins ; some have serrated leaves or entire leaves with smooth margins. Many deciduous species are marcescent , not dropping dead leaves until spring. In spring,
864-451: Is hard to give definitive measurements, given that they lack a rigid structure.) The following June they form a pale green chrysalis , 30–35 mm long and 12–15 mm in width, resembling a leaf shoot. The adults usually emerge in July, flying well into August. Apatura iris is widely distributed in dense, broadleaved woodlands throughout Europe including southern Britain , and across
918-659: Is only found in Monmouthshire ." A specimen of Apatura iris plays a key role in solving a murder mystery in Robert W. Chambers ' 1897 short story, "The Purple Emperor." The species is also mentioned in Tolkien's The Hobbit , in chapter 8, "Flies and Spiders". Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of
972-434: Is somewhat variable individually, there occurring for instance males with a pure blue gloss (Hungary), instead of violet-blue, or with the white markings flushed with rosy red, the marginal band of the hindwing being cinnamon-brown. Of known aberrations the following have received names: ab. thaumantis Schultz, the white markings enlarged and widened, the elsewhere but feebly marked pale spots larger and sharper, especially at
1026-624: Is the same scheme that persists today, with relatively minor revisions, and the addition of two more realms: Oceania and the Antarctic realm . The Palearctic realm includes mostly boreal/subarctic-climate and temperate-climate ecoregions, which run across Eurasia from western Europe to the Bering Sea . The boreal and temperate Euro-Siberian region is the Palearctic's largest biogeographic region, which transitions from tundra in
1080-539: The Bering land bridge , and have very similar mammal and bird fauna, with many Eurasian species having moved into North America, and fewer North American species having moved into Eurasia. Many zoologists consider the Palearctic and Nearctic to be a single Holarctic realm . The Palearctic and Nearctic also share many plant species, which botanists call the Arcto-Tertiary Geoflora . The lands bordering
1134-570: The Mediterranean Sea in southern Europe, north Africa, and western Asia are home to the Mediterranean Basin ecoregions, which together constitute the world's largest and most diverse mediterranean climate region of the world, with generally mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The Mediterranean basin's mosaic of Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub are home to 13,000 endemic species. The Mediterranean basin
SECTION 20
#17327975686701188-494: The Palearctic to central and western China . Different subspecies are found across the region (see below). In Victorian times this species was regarded as being common in southern England , as far north as the river Humber , but since then it has experienced a sharp decline in both range and numbers. This decline started in the first part of the twentieth century (it was noted by South, for example, writing in 1921) and by
1242-643: The Paleogene , and possibly from before the Eocene are mostly poorly preserved without critical features for certain identification. Amongst the oldest unequivocal records of Quercus are pollen from Austria, dating to the Paleocene -Eocene boundary, around 55 million years ago. The oldest records of Quercus in North America are from Oregon , dating to the Middle Eocene, around 44 million years ago, with
1296-853: The Royal Oak in Britain, the Charter Oak in the United States, and the Guernica Oak in the Basque Country . The generic name Quercus is Latin for "oak", derived from Proto-Indo-European *kwerkwu- , "oak", which is also the origin of the name " fir ", another important or sacred tree in Indo-European culture. The word "cork", for the bark of the cork oak , similarly derives from Quercus . The common name "oak"
1350-483: The Second World War for the same reason. Heslop estimated from his personal observation that "the minimum number of individual imagines (adults) required to sustain a viable colony in an average year is one thousand"; independent confirmation of this has not been found. South believed that once they had become uncommon, increased collecting had contributed "to the monarch's destruction" in many areas. By 1989
1404-663: The caribou ). Several large Palearctic animals became extinct from the end of the Pleistocene into historic times, including Irish elk ( Megaloceros giganteus ), aurochs ( Bos primigenius ), woolly rhinoceros ( Coelodonta antiquitatis ), woolly mammoth ( Mammuthus primigenius ), North African elephant ( Loxodonta africana pharaoensis ), Chinese elephant ( Elephas maximus rubridens ), cave bear ( Ursus spelaeus ), Straight tusked elephant ( Palaeoloxodon antiquus ) and European lion ( Panthera leo europaea ). Quercus See also List of Quercus species . An oak
1458-436: The oak apple , and a large number of pests and diseases. Oak leaves and acorns contain enough tannin to be toxic to cattle, but pigs are able to digest them safely. Oak timber is strong and hard, and has found many uses in construction and furniture-making. The bark was traditionally used for tanning leather . Wine barrels are made of oak; these are used for aging alcoholic beverages such as sherry and whisky , giving them
1512-531: The sclerophyll shrublands known as chaparral , matorral , maquis , or garrigue . Conservation International has designated the Mediterranean basin as one of the world's biodiversity hotspots . A great belt of deserts , including the Atlantic coastal desert , Sahara Desert, and Arabian Desert , separates the Palearctic and Afrotropic ecoregions. This scheme includes these desert ecoregions in
1566-628: The temperate rain forests of the Euxine-Colchic deciduous forests ecoregion. Central Asia and the Iranian plateau are home to dry steppe grasslands and desert basins, with montane forests, woodlands, and grasslands in the region's high mountains and plateaux. In southern Asia the boundary of the Palearctic is largely altitudinal. The middle altitude foothills of the Himalaya between about 2,000–2,500 m (6,600–8,200 ft) form
1620-593: The 1960s it was relatively scarce, being confined to old broadleaved woodlands in a few counties in south-east England. Heslop et al . ascribed the decline to habitat fragmentation and loss, starting before the First World War but accelerated by the increased demand for timber during that war, causing old woodlands to be clear felled to make way for commercial forestry crops, especially softwoods. This rendered large parts of its former habitat unsuitable, and it died out in those areas. This process continued after
1674-706: The Old World, oaks of section Quercus extend across the whole of Europe including European Russia apart from the far north, and north Africa (north of the Sahara) from Morocco to Libya. In Mediterranean Europe, they are joined by oaks of the sections Cerris and Ilex , which extend across Turkey, the Middle East, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan , while section Ponticae is endemic to the western Caucasus in Turkey and Georgia . Oaks of section Cyclobalanopsis extend in
Apatura iris - Misplaced Pages Continue
1728-410: The anterior end and a smaller one at the posterior. A. iris L. (5()a) is shot with violet-blue in the male, and is distinguished by the white band of the hindwing bearing distally a sharp tooth at the anterior median vein; the outer margin of the forewing is but slightly incurved below the apex. Female larger than the male, somewhat more broad-winged, brown, without blue gloss. The nymotypical subspecies
1782-698: The basis for zoogeographic classification. In an 1858 paper for the Proceedings of the Linnean Society , British zoologist Philip Sclater first identified six terrestrial zoogeographic realms of the world: Palaearctic, Aethiopian/ Afrotropic , Indian / Indomalayan , Australasian , Nearctic , and Neotropical . The six indicated general groupings of fauna, based on shared biogeography and large-scale geographic barriers to migration. Alfred Wallace adopted Sclater's scheme for his book The Geographical Distribution of Animals , published in 1876. This
1836-412: The boundary between the Palearctic and Indomalaya ecoregions. China , Korea and Japan are more humid and temperate than adjacent Siberia and Central Asia, and are home to rich temperate coniferous, broadleaf, and mixed forests, which are now mostly limited to mountainous areas, as the densely populated lowlands and river basins have been converted to intensive agricultural and urban use. East Asia
1890-435: The counter-part of the preceding: the white markings obsolescent except the subapical spots of the forewing, the latter also sometimes absent, the whole black wing-surface shot with blue. In all transitions towards the main form, also asymmetric specimens occur; occasionally with pale radiating smears in the distal area of the hind- wing. Everywhere rare among the main form, both sexes being known. — ab. lutescens Schultz, only
1944-497: The distal area. In the female the markings are yellowish, except the white subapical spots of the forewing. Tibet, West and Central China, in June and July, up to about 3000 m. — Along with this brown main-form there flies in the same districts a form which is white-spotted in both sexes, but is much larger than the European race and has a deeper chocolate-brown underside; it approaches the Amur form and may be named recidiva form. nov. in
1998-402: The edge of and in leaved woods, in the early morning found drinking on dewy roads in the woods and at puddles; it becomes more restless at a later hour, flying at a considerable height, is fond of foul-smelling matter (excrements, dung, urine, cheese) and is easily baited with them. The flight is strong and graceful. The butterfly rests with spread wings on a leaf of a tree or shrub and has, like
2052-439: The female observed, the white bands and spots shaded with darker or paler brownish yellow; likewise rarely met with at large. — Very singly there occur in this species females in which the upperside is irrorated with golden scales, which are more condensed in the posterior area of the forewing and the anterior area of the hindwing; this is ab. aurosquamosa Gillm. — The distribution of the nymotypical subspecies with its aberrations
2106-490: The female of this form there is usually still a dull, ochreous marginal band visible on the hindwing. Females spend most of their lives in the tree canopy, favouring dense and mature oak woodlands, coming down only to lay their eggs on the small willow bushes that grow in clearings and bridleways . Males also spend much of their time in the tree tops, defending their territory from rivals, though they will sometimes descend to drink from puddles or feed. Unlike most butterflies,
2160-525: The foothills of the Himalayas , and North Africa . The realm consists of several bioregions : the Euro-Siberian region; the Mediterranean Basin ; North Africa ; North Arabia ; and Western , Central and East Asia . The Palaearctic realm also has numerous rivers and lakes, forming several freshwater ecoregions. The term 'Palearctic' was first used in the 19th century, and is still in use as
2214-404: The genus Quercus consisted of Old World and New World clades. The entire genome of Quercus robur (the pedunculate oak) has been sequenced , revealing an array of mutations that may underlie the evolution of longevity and disease resistance in oaks. In addition, hundreds of oak species have been compared (at RAD-seq loci), allowing a detailed phylogeny to be constructed. However,
Apatura iris - Misplaced Pages Continue
2268-641: The genus are often large and slow-growing; Q. alba can reach an age of 600 years, a diameter of 13 feet (4.0 m) and a height of 145 feet (44 m). The Granit oak in Bulgaria, a Q. robur specimen, has an estimated age of 1637 years, making it the oldest oak in Europe. The Wi'aaSal tree, a live oak in the reservation of the Pechanga Band of Indians , California, is at least 1000 years old, and might be as much as 2000 years old, which would make it
2322-580: The heavily developed rivers of Europe , the rivers of Russia , which flow into the Arctic , Baltic , Black , and Caspian seas, Siberia 's Lake Baikal , the oldest and deepest lake on the planet, and Japan's ancient Lake Biwa . One bird family, the accentors (Prunellidae), is endemic to the Palearctic region. The Holarctic has four other endemic bird families: the divers or loons (Gaviidae), grouse (Tetraoninae), auks (Alcidae), and waxwings (Bombycillidae). There are no endemic mammal orders in
2376-519: The largest number of oak species, with approximately 160 species in Mexico, of which 109 are endemic, and about 90 in the United States. The second greatest area of oak diversity is China, with approximately 100 species. In the Americas, Quercus is widespread from Vancouver and Nova Scotia in the south of Canada, south to Mexico and across the whole of the eastern United States. It is present in
2430-410: The margin of the hindwing, on the underside of the forewing the russet-red scaling restricted by the widening of the black markings; in the hindwing the narrow dark marginal line is wanting, the white median band is more or less shaded with black; so far only males have been found at large, and but rarely, also artificially produced by experiments with temperature. — ab. jole Schiff. (50b, transition),
2484-542: The northern reaches of Russia and Scandinavia to the vast taiga , the boreal coniferous forests which run across the continent. South of the taiga are a belt of temperate broadleaf and mixed forests and temperate coniferous forests . This vast Euro-Siberian region is characterized by many shared plant and animal species, and has many affinities with the temperate and boreal regions of the Nearctic realm of North America . Eurasia and North America were often connected by
2538-560: The oldest oak in the US. Among the smallest oaks is Q. acuta , the Japanese evergreen oak. It forms a bush or small tree to a height of some 30 feet (9.1 m). The genus Quercus is native to the Northern Hemisphere and includes deciduous and evergreen species extending from cool temperate to tropical latitudes in the Americas , Asia, Europe, and North Africa. North America has
2592-877: The oldest records in Asia from the Middle Eocene of Japan; both forms have affinities to the Cyclobalanopsis group. Quercus forms part, or rather two parts, of the Quercoideae subfamily of the Fagaceae , the beech family. Modern molecular phylogenetics suggests the following relationships: Fagus (beeches) Trigonobalanus (3 evergreen species) Lithocarpus (stone oaks) Chrysolepis (chinquapins) Quercus pro parte Notholithocarpus (tan oak) Quercus pro parte Castanopsis (also called chinquapins) Castanea (chestnuts) Molecular techniques for phylogenetic analysis show that
2646-630: The palearctic realm; other biogeographers identify the realm boundary as the transition zone between the desert ecoregions and the Mediterranean basin ecoregions to the north, which places the deserts in the Afrotropic, while others place the boundary through the middle of the desert. The Caucasus mountains, which run between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea , are a particularly rich mix of coniferous, broadleaf, and mixed forests, and include
2700-439: The preceding species, the habit of returning to its resting-place or near it, if disturbed. The females rarely come down to the ground, remaining generally in the tree-tops. — In Amurland the brownish colour of the bands and spots is the rule in the female (cf. lutescens ); the male is of especially large size, the ground-colour of the wings being less dark and the gloss stronger and of a lighter reddish blue. We have here do with
2754-405: The purple emperor does not feed from flowers but instead on the honeydew secreted by aphids , sap oozing from oak trees, and on dung, urine, and animal carcasses. Richard South noted that collectors once used animal carcasses "in a somewhat advanced state of decay" to lure the males down to the ground, adding that this practice was "unsportsmanlike"; otherwise one needed a "high net" mounted on
SECTION 50
#17327975686702808-636: The region, but several families are endemic: Calomyscidae ( mouse-like hamsters ), Prolagidae , and Ailuridae ( red pandas ). Several mammal species originated in the Palearctic and spread to the Nearctic during the Ice Age , including the brown bear ( Ursus arctos , known in North America as the grizzly), red deer ( Cervus elaphus ) in Europe and the closely related elk ( Cervus canadensis ) in far eastern Siberia, American bison ( Bison bison ), and reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus , known in North America as
2862-585: The species had a stronghold in the remaining large broadleaved woodlands of Hampshire , Surrey and Sussex , but was still found in scattered localities elsewhere across southern England. It has returned in large numbers to the Knepp estate in Sussex following re-wilding, as described by Isabella Tree . South noted that it had not been recorded from Scotland, and only doubtfully from Ireland, adding that "in Wales it
2916-445: Was not much affected by glaciation in the ice ages , and retained 96 percent of Pliocene tree genera, while Europe retained only 27 percent. In the subtropical region of southern China and southern edge of the Himalayas, the Palearctic temperate forests transition to the subtropical and tropical forests of Indomalaya , creating a rich and diverse mix of plant and animal species. The mountains of southwest China are also designated as
#669330