''Parides agavus'', the Agavus Cattleheart, is a species of

butterfly 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 ...

in the family

Papilionidae Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful Butterfly, butterflies in the family Papilionidae, and include over 550 species. Though the majority are tropical, members of the family inhabit every continent except Antarctica. The family includ ...

. It is found in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

, and north

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. The red anal spot of the hindwing very large and z-shaped. The abbreviated white band of the hindwing is somewhat variable. A full description is provided by Rothschild, W. and Jordan, K. (1906) The sexes are similar. It is not uncommon, even in gardens. Adults frequent flowers. It is not thought to be threatened. ''Parides agavus'' is ranched in Brazil. The larvae feed on '' Aristolochia triangularis'' and '' Aristolochia fimbriata''.

Description from Seitz

P. agavus Drury (lb). The red anal spot of the hindwing very large, Z-shaped. The abbreviated white band of the hindwing is somewhat variable. Although the species is quite common even in gardens in the neighbourhood of Rio, especially in damp, shady places, we are still ignorant of its early stages. The insect frequents flowers, and is easy to catch. — Minas Geraes southwards to Rio Grande do Sul, westwards to Paraguay and the adjoining parts of Argentina; not extending to the foot of the Andes.

Taxonomy

''Parides agavus'' is a member of the ''ascanius''

species group In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

("Fringe-spots white. Hindwing with submarginal spots and usnally also discal spots or dots, or a discal band; mostly with tail"). A quadrate whitish spot in space 2 of the forewings is quite peculiar of the ''ascanius group''Racheli, Tommaso an Olmisani. Luca 1998. A cladistic analysis of the genus ''Parides'' Hubner,

819 __NOTOC__ Year 819 ( DCCCXIX) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – Emperor Louis I marries Judith of Bavaria in Aachen.Rogers, Barbara, Bernhard W. Scholz, and Nithard ...

based on androconial structures (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae). ''Neue Ent. Nachr''. (Marktleuthen),41:119-13
pdf
/ref> The members are :*''Parides agavus'' (Drury, 1782) :*''

Parides alopius ''Parides alopius'', the white-dotted cattleheart, is an endemic Mexican butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It has also strayed once into the United States in southeastern Arizona.Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman (2003). ''Butterflies of Nort ...

'' (Godman & Salvin,

890 __NOTOC__ Year 890 ( DCCCXC) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar, the 890th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 890th year of the 1st millennium, the 90th year of the 9th century, and the ...

:*''

Parides ascanius ''Parides ascanius'', the Fluminense swallowtail, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is endemic to Brazil where it is confined to the municipalities of Atafona ( São João da Barra) and Itaguaí.It is found in subcoastal s ...

'' (Cramer,

775 __NOTOC__ Year 775 ( DCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 775 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe ...

:*''

Parides bunichus ''Parides bunichus'' is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay. The larva is brownish black, with an oblique white band, extending laterally from the 6th segment to the tubercle on the 7th. ...

'' (Hübner,

821 __NOTOC__ Year 821 (Roman numerals, DCCCXXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Byzantine general Thomas the Slav leads a revolt, and secures control over most of the Byzan ...

:*''

Parides gundlachianus ''Parides gundlachianus'', the Cuban cattleheart, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is an endemic species found only in Cuba. The name honours the Cuban naturalist Juan Gundlach. It is the brightest-coloured American swa ...

'' (C. & R. Felder, 1864) :*''

Parides montezuma ''Parides montezuma'', the Montezuma's cattleheart, is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is native to the Americas. Description The upperside of the wings is black, without a band and with one row of red crescents along the hindwing ma ...

'' (Westwood, 1842) :*''

Parides phalaecus ''Parides phaleucas'' is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It was described by William Chapman Hewitson in 1869. It is found in Ecuador and Peru. Description ''Parides phalaecus'' has a spatulate tail. The body is very hairy and ...

'' (Hewitson, 1869) :*''

Parides photinus ''Parides photinus'', the pink-spotted cattleheart, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It was first described by Edward Doubleday in 1844. Description ''Parides photinus'' has a wingspan reaching . Adults are black with the h ...

'' (Doubleday, 1844) :*''

Parides proneus ''Parides proneus'' is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found in Brazil and Paraguay. Description Males and females:both wings with narrow white band, the red submarginal spots of the hindwing straight or slightly curved; ...

'' (Hübner,

831 __NOTOC__ Year 831 (Roman numerals, DCCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Abbasid Empire and Byzantine Empire * Byzantine–Arab wars (780–1180)#Period of 780–842, Byzantine–Arab W ...

Etymology

It is named in the

classical tradition The Western classical tradition is the reception of classical Greco-Roman antiquity by later cultures, especially the post-classical West, involving texts, imagery, objects, ideas, institutions, monuments, architecture, cultural artifacts, ritu ...

. In

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 ...

Agave was a

Nereid In Greek mythology, the Nereids or Nereides ( ; ; , also Νημερτές) are sea nymphs (female spirits of sea waters), the 50 daughters of the ' Old Man of the Sea' Nereus and the Oceanid Doris, sisters to their brother Nerites. They ofte ...

References

*Lewis, H.L. (1974). ''Butterflies of the World'' Page 25, figure 19 *D’Abrera, B. (1981). ''Butterflies of the Neotropical Region'' Part I. Papilionidae and Pieridae. Lansdowne Editions, Melbourne. xvi + 172 pp.

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7137030 Parides Butterflies described in 1782 Papilionidae of South America Taxa named by Dru Drury Lepidoptera of Argentina Lepidoptera of Brazil