Japanese Clouded Apollo

Swallowtail butterfly with transparent wings.

Scientific name	Parnassius citrinarius
English name	Japanese Clouded Apollo
Japanese name	薄羽白蝶
Classification	Insecta
Classification details	Lepidoptera Papilionidae
Full length	25-35mm
Distribution	Distributed in East Asia. Hokkaido, Honshu, and Shikoku in Japan.

Characteristics

It is also called "Usuba-ageha" because it has a thin forewing that is almost transparent.

The wings are entirely white with a transparent band running along the tip of the wing. It has a black body with orange fur around its head. A silhouette slightly larger than a white butterfly.

The flight speed isn't that fast, and it flies like it's fluttering.

Ecology

Found in low mountains and forests. Adults emerge in May and feed on nectar from flowers. Larvae feed on plants of the poppy family. Form a cocoon when pupating.

Habitat

At the end of April, I photographed an adult flying around the edge of a forest in Kamikawa-cho, Hachioji City. They seemed to emerge all at once, and there were only Parnassius butterflies flying around. They were sucking nectar, flapping from flower to flower. When it landed on the dandelion, I could see the yellow color of the flower through the forewings.