Luehdorfia japonica facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Japanese luehdorfia |
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The Japanese luehdorfia (Luehdorfia japonica) is a beautiful type of butterfly. It belongs to a group of butterflies called Parnassiinae. You can only find this special butterfly in Japan. A person named Yasushi Nawa first discovered it in Japan in 1883. People also call it the Gifu butterfly (岐阜蝶 or ギフチョウ, Gifu Chō).
About the Butterfly
The Japanese luehdorfia butterfly has a unique life cycle. It is univoltine, which means it only has one generation of adults each year. The adult butterflies appear in early spring.
The young caterpillars of this butterfly eat plants called wild gingers, which are part of the Asarum family. Female butterflies lay their eggs in small groups on the fresh leaves of these plants. When the eggs hatch, the tiny caterpillars stay together and eat the leaves in groups during their early stages of growth.
Japanese scientists have studied this butterfly a lot. They look at how its groups of butterflies are related across different areas (this is called phylogeography). They also study how the number of butterflies changes over time (this is population dynamics).
One interesting thing about the female Japanese luehdorfia is something called a sphragis. This is a special plug that the male butterfly attaches to the female after they mate. It stops her from mating with other males. Other butterflies in the Parnassinae group also have this feature.
What's in a Name?
The name of the butterfly's group, Luehdorfia, comes from a person named Friedrich August Lühdorf. He was a trader from Bremen who traveled to Japan in 1854.
Where They Live
Sadly, the Japanese luehdorfia butterfly is becoming harder to find. This is because the places where it used to live, like open woodlands, are being changed. These areas are often used for farming or for growing trees in a very intense way. This butterfly only lives on Honshu Island in Japan.
