Fluminense Butterfly (Parides Ascanius)
The Fluminense Butterfly is a beautiful black butterfly with white and pinkish reddish details and with a beautiful tail like a swallow.
The Fluminense Butterfly (Parides Ascanius) is a butterfly from the papiliondeo family, found only in some swampy sandbanks in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. Such butterflies have black and white wings, with a characteristic red spot on its posterior wings.
It was the first Brazilian insect to enter the list of endangered species of Brazil. Endemic to Rio de Janeiro, it lives in small spots of wetland and swamp vegetation between the cities of Atafona (São João da Barra) and Itajaí, it has as it’s only host plant, the Aristolochia macroura (Aristolochiaceae), known as Dutchman’s Pipe.
As na adult, a nectavore, it has as it’s favorite flower the Lantana Camara (Verbanaceae), known as Red Sage. It’s caterpillar stores toxic substances from the leaves or branches, giving it to the adults, becoming unpalatable to some predators. The adult flies practically all year round, being able to diapause, in it’s chrysalis phase during the winter. The monophagus habit of the caterpillar makes this species even more susceptible to extinction. Currently it’s population restricts itself to a few regions and areas or specific habitats and under strong anthropic impact.
The destruction of the wetlands or swamp vegetation areas in all of Rio de Janeiro is the main cause of threat to this species.
At the Olympic Golf Course – (OGC) – there is a butterfly sanctuary on which, amoungst various species, the Fluminense Butterfly can be appreciated. Come and enjoy at this beautiful Olympic Golf Course, the exuberant nature also with other species like: capibaras, broad-snouted caiman, birds, flowers, amoungst others.
Partnerships
