Gonepteryx cleopatra

Appearance

''Gonepteryx cleopatra'' is a medium sized butterfly with a wingspan of about 30 millimetres . It is a sexually dimorphic species - the female has pale yellow or greenish wings, the male is darker yellow with an orange patch on the forewing. Both sexes have a forewing apical hook and brown dots in the center of each wing, and the underside of wings is light greenish yellow. The greenish colour, the shape and the pronounced venation on the hindwings give to these butterflies a good camouflage, making them resemble just leaves.

Naming

The species ''Gonepteryx cleopatra'' is divided into thr following ten subspecies:
⤷ ''Gonepteryx cleopatra cleopatra'' – North Africa, Portugal, Spain, Sicily
⤷ ''Gonepteryx cleopatra balearica ''Bubacek, 1920 – Balearic Islands
⤷ ''Gonepteryx cleopatra petronella'' De Freina, 1977 – Ibiza
⤷ ''Gonepteryx cleopatra italica'' – Italy, France, Corsica, Sardinia
⤷ ''Gonepteryx cleopatra dalmatica'' Verity, 1908 – Dalmatian coast, western Balkan
⤷ ''Gonepteryx cleopatra citrina'' Sheljuzhko, 1925 – southern Greece
⤷ ''Gonepteryx cleopatra insularis'' Verity, 1909 – Crete
⤷ ''Gonepteryx cleopatra fiorii'' Turati & Fiori, 1930 – Rhodes
⤷ ''Gonepteryx cleopatra taurica'' – Anatolia, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Cyprus
⤷ ''Gonepteryx cleopatra palmata'' Turati, 1921 – Cyrenaica, Libya

Distribution

This species is native to the Mediterranean region .

Habitat

The Cleopatra butterfly inhabits open woodland and scrub. The flight period is from May to August in most parts of its range, except Spain, where it is double-brooded and may fly almost all year. The adult hibernates in evergreen trees and shrubs. The caterpillars feed on buckthorns . When the green caterpillars are prepared to pass to the pupal stage, they tie themselves through a silk belt to the host plant, on the underside of a leaf. The green chrysalis became gradually yellow and red, revealing the colours on the wings of the adult close to flutter.