''Battus'' is a

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

genus of

butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

that are usually found around pipevine (genus ''

Aristolochia ''Aristolochia'' () is a large plant genus with over 500 species that is the type genus of the family Aristolochiaceae. Its members are commonly known as birthwort, pipevine or Dutchman's pipe and are widespread and occur in the most diverse clim ...

'') plants. The

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

s feed off the poisonous pipevines, making the insects poisonous themselves; they taste very bad to ward off

predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

s. Since birds avoid these butterflies, other swallowtail species mimic their coloration. The common North American species are '' Battus polydamas'' and ''

Battus philenor ''Battus philenor'', the pipevine swallowtail or blue swallowtail, Retrieved April 19, 2018. is a swallowtail butterfly found in North America and Central America. This butterfly is black with iridescent-blue hindwings. They are found in many di ...

''.

Etymology

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

, Battus is a

shepherd A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of Pastoralism, pastoralist animal husbandry. ...

who witnessed

Hermes Hermes (; ) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quic ...

stealing

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

's cattle. Because he broke his promise not to reveal this

theft Theft (, cognate to ) is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shor ...

, Hermes turned him to stone.

Species

Listed alphabetically within groups:Glassberg, J. (2007) A Swift Guide to the Butterflies of Mexico and Central America, Sunstreak Books, pp.8-9. subgenus: ''Battuosa'' Möhn, 1999 :species group: ''belus'' Möhn, 1999 ::* '' Battus belus'' (Cramer, 1777) – Belus swallowtail ::* '' Battus crassus'' (Cramer, 1777) – Crassus swallowtail ::* '' Battus eracon'' (Godman & Salvin, 1897) – west-Mexican swallowtail, Colima swallowtail ::* '' Battus ingenuus'' (Dyar, 1907) – Dyar's swallowtail, confused swallowtail ::* '' Battus laodamas'' (C. & R. Felder, 1859) – green-patch swallowtail, yellow-spotted swallowtail ::* '' Battus lycidas'' (Cramer, 777 – Cramer's swallowtail, yellow-trailed swallowtail ::* '' Battus polystictus'' (Butler, 1874) :species group: ''madyes'' Möhn, 1999 ::* '' Battus madyes'' (Doubleday, 1846) – Madyes swallowtail subgenus: ''Battus'' Möhn, 1999 :species group: ''philenor'' ::* '' Battus devilliersii'' (Godart, 1823) ::* ''

'' (Linnaeus, 1771) – pipevine swallowtail ::* '' Battus zetides'' (Munroe, 1971) – Zetides swallowtail :species group: ''polydamus'' Möhn, 1999 ::* '' Battus polydamas'' (Linnaeus, 1758) – Polydamas swallowtail, gold rim swallowtail, or tailless swallowtail File:Bphilenor.jpg, Museum specimen of ''

'' File:Battus philenor Caterpillar.jpg, ''Battus philenor'' caterpillar, high-temperature red form File:Pipevine Swallowtail larva, Megan McCarty52.jpg, ''Battus philenor'' caterpillar, low temperature black form File:Pipevine Swallowtail chrysalis, Megan McCarty53.jpg, ''Battus philenor'' pupa

References

*Edwin Möhn, 2002 ''Schmetterlinge der Erde, Butterflies of the World'' Part V (5), Papilionidae II: Battus. Edited by Erich Bauer and Thomas Frankenbach Keltern: Goecke & Evers; Canterbury: Hillside Books. Illustrates and identifies 14 species and 49 subspecies.

External links

''Battus''
, Insects Online
''Battus''
BugGuide

Butterflies of America. Mostly types. Papilionidae Butterfly genera Taxa named by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli Taxa described in 1777 {{Papilionidae-stub