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Inachis io

Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2022 8:45 am
by daveuk
The Peacock Butterfly.
Thankfully still a common & frequently seen butterfly in my part of the world. I have reared it several times from larvae.
Freshly emerged specimens are really something to behold
Picture one is a typical pair.
Picture two is of two specimens produced by temperature shocking the pupae. The top specimen here is the so called "blind" peacock which lacks the eye spots on all four wings. This form does occur in the wild but is excessively rare.
Picture three is of specimens produced by chemically injecting the pupae. A very skilled practice which I have not tried myself. The top two specimens in this picture are from Poland. The bottom one from England.
Many collectors don't go in for these artificially produced specimens & they do offend some "purists". Apologies if these pictures do.

Re: Inachis io

Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2022 5:48 pm
by Trehopr1
Inachis io has always been my quintessential favorite amongst the British butterflies. It is a real standout from everything else with those prominent eyespots and purple highlights.

I have acquired at least 10 specimens which are genuine British and another 20+ from Poland (bred). I have two of the "blind" peacocks but, no chemically induced specimens.

I prefer the "classic" appearance of the pair in the first photograph ---- over all else. There is a variance in the intensity of the red coloration as well as in the violet highlights (noticed best within a series).

Really, a stunning species for such northerly latitudes.

Re: Inachis io

Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2022 9:03 pm
by daveuk
Trehopr1 wrote: Thu Jun 16, 2022 5:48 pm Inachis io has always been my quintessential favorite amongst the British butterflies. It is a real standout from everything else with those prominent eyespots and purple highlights.

I have acquired at least 10 specimens which are genuine British and another 20+ from Poland (bred). I have two of the "blind" peacocks but, no chemically induced specimens.

I prefer the "classic" appearance of the pair in the first photograph ---- over all else. There is a variance in the intensity of the red coloration as well as in the violet highlights (noticed best within a series).

Really, a stunning species for such northerly latitudes.
I agree with you about the typical ones being the best. They do vary considerably as you say. Very glad you have a British series of them as well as your Polish specimens.

Re: Inachis io

Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2022 9:35 pm
by livingplanet3
Trehopr1 wrote: Thu Jun 16, 2022 5:48 pm Inachis io has always been my quintessential favorite amongst the British butterflies. It is a real standout from everything else with those prominent eyespots and purple highlights.
Agreed!

I seem to recall that someone posted last year (on the old forum) an unusual specimen of Nymphalis antiopa as well?

Re: Inachis io

Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2022 3:34 pm
by wollastoni
Aglais io (new classification) has succesfully colonized Montreal area (Quebec, Canada) since 1997 and is now expanding everyyear.
I guess all North Americans will have some in their garden in few decades.

Re: Inachis io

Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2022 3:40 pm
by livingplanet3
wollastoni wrote: Fri Jun 24, 2022 3:34 pm Aglais io (new classification) has succesfully colonized Montreal area (Quebec, Canada) since 1997 and is now expanding everyyear.
I guess all North Americans will have some in their garden in few decades.
I wonder how far south it will expand? Would this species be able to tolerate the hot summers of the southern US, which often exceed 38 C?

Re: Inachis io

Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2022 3:47 pm
by nomihoudai
@livingplanet3 They feed on nettles. I can't remember having seen nettles in the South of the US.

Re: Inachis io

Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2022 5:18 pm
by Trehopr1
I don't know how our southern states are fixed for nettles but, Red admirals and Mourning cloaks are said to feed on them as well.

Perhaps, at least in the more northerly reaches of the US this butterfly could thrive and survive in much the same way it does in England.

Re: Inachis io

Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2022 5:55 pm
by wollastoni
Aglais io is found also in Sicily, Greece and Turkey so it could colonize a large part of N. America including Southern US States if some foodplants are present.

Re: Inachis io

Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2022 6:24 pm
by daveuk
wollastoni wrote: Fri Jun 24, 2022 3:34 pm Aglais io (new classification) has succesfully colonized Montreal area (Quebec, Canada) since 1997 and is now expanding everyyear.
I guess all North Americans will have some in their garden in few decades.
I heard about the new classification & about the introduction into Canada Olivier. I have just got very used to calling it Inachis over the past fifty years or so. 😊

Re: Inachis io

Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2022 6:49 pm
by nomihoudai
Trehopr1 wrote: Fri Jun 24, 2022 5:18 pm I don't know how our southern states are fixed for nettles but, Red admirals and Mourning cloaks are said to feed on them as well.

Perhaps, at least in the more northerly reaches of the US this butterfly could thrive and survive in much the same way it does in England.
As far as I can see Nymphalis antiopa feeds on tree species in California (Willow and Poplar) which is as expected with genus Nymphalis.

A good hint is the distribution of Aglais milberti which feeds on Urtica dioica and Urtica procera. It exists in Canada from East to West. In the US they populate regions West of the Rocky Mountains (until New Mexico), but on the East Coast they stop around Ohio and West Virginia.

Aglais io started in the Toronto area when I am not mistaken. It can make it all the way to the West Coast but it will take time. The southernmost record at the moment is Virginia Beach in Virginia.

I also checked if there is nettles in the South, there is Urtica chamaedryoides (Heartleaf Nettle) which I have probably come across but failed to recognize at the time. Would be interesting to know if Aglais can feed on them but I guess the leafs are too small for the caterpillars to live on. Aglais like to spin little nests from a bunch of leafs where they rest. It's a really beautiful species and I don't mind an expansion of its range.

Re: Inachis io

Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2022 6:57 pm
by nomihoudai
On a side note, if I had not grown up in Europe, Aglais io and Cyanistes caeruleus would have been the two species drawing me to the region to see them with my very own eyes.

Re: Inachis io

Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2022 7:17 pm
by Yorky
An interesting specimen that I caught in the back garden a few years back, completely uneven and antenna a different size.

Re: Inachis io

Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2022 4:26 am
by Paul K
I have never seen this species in southern Ontario, I remember it from Poland where it was very common back in 80"s, still have two specimens collected in Wroclaw, Poland.

Re: Inachis io

Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2022 10:28 am
by wollastoni
Claude : my friends from Quebec told me Aglais io entry to Canada was Montreal.