Source | Urban Live Comprehensive Jiangxi Release
On August 27, good news came from the Jinggangshan National Nature Reserve's Papilio Breeding Research Base Later, in August this year, two butterflies were successfully hatched again, one of which was a female butterfly. This time, artificial technology was used to successfully conserve a female Papilion butterfly, which is the first time in the country.
It is understood that the golden-spotted swallowtail butterfly is known as the "giant panda" in the insect world, ranking first among the eight most precious butterflies in the world, and has the reputation of "dream butterfly", " queen of butterflies " and "world animal living fossil". It is a national first-level protected animal. It mainly inhabits sub-primitive forests in the subtropical or tropical regions at an altitude of about 1,000 meters. It is very rare in the wild and is rarely discovered.
Swallowtail butterfly
Jinggangshan Since the first discovery of Swallowtail butterfly in 2007, we have proactively contacted the well-known butterfly expert Professor Jia Fenghai to carry out local butterfly surveys in Jinggangshan and a special survey of Swallowtail butterfly. In 2019, based on the basically mature conditions, we began to establish a greenhouse imitating wild butterflies to conduct special research on the golden-spotted swallowtail butterfly. In 2020, two birds were successfully bred and released in their native habitat, which is the first time in China.
In 2021, the greenhouse was improved and an exclusive "hut" was built for the butterfly, successfully breaking through and mastering the breeding technology of the butterfly in its wild state. This move has greatly improved the survival rate of the butterfly's four insect states: eggs, larvae, pupae and adults, laid a good technical foundation for expanding the wild population, and provided a way to further protect and restore the good habitat of the golden-spotted swallowtail butterfly. Scientific basis.
Papilion butterfly - egg
Papilion butterfly - first instar
The golden-spotted swallowtail butterfly - pupation
The excellent ecology of Jinggangshan has helped a lot
The golden-spotted swallowtail butterfly is divided into four geographical subspecies in my country: the named subspecies, the Wuyi subspecies, the Guangxi species and the Hainan subspecies. The discovery of the species distributed in Jinggang Mountains is recorded for the first time in the Luoxiao Mountains . Due to the scarcity of individuals in scientific research, no subspecies has yet been identified.
Papillion butterfly - emergence
Papilion butterfly larvae
So, why does Papilion butterfly exist in Jinggangshan? This is due to the complete ecological protection of Jinggangshan. Because the golden-spotted swallowtail butterfly lives in mid-to-high mountains at an altitude of about 1,000 meters, it has high requirements for habitats. It needs to live in natural forests, evergreen broad-leaved forests or mixed coniferous and broad-leaf forests, which is exactly what Jinggangshan has to offer. Vegetation characteristics of the protected area.
The vegetation in Jinggangshan has ancient origins and is known as the "Tertiary Forest", "Natural Animal and Plant Germplasm Resource Bank" and "Subtropical Green Pearl". It has diverse vegetation types and rich biological resources, including evergreen broad-leaved forests. , deciduous broad-leaved forest and other vegetation types. The mountain is covered with golden leaves that the golden-spotted swallowtail butterfly loves, and is very suitable for the life and rest of the golden-spotted swallowtail butterfly.
Artificial breeding is a better protection for the Papilion butterfly.
The reporter learned that at present, most of the Papilion butterfly in the wild are male butterflies, while the number of female butterflies is rare. According to He Guiqiang, a local expert in the reserve and senior engineer of the Papilion butterfly , since the discovery of the Papilion butterfly in 2007, only two female butterflies have been found so far, and the wild population of the Papilion butterfly is so small. , may also be related to the scarcity of female butterflies, resulting in low reproductive capacity.
Swallowtail butterfly - female butterfly
Swallowtail butterfly female butterfly breaks pupa
If mating is successful through artificial breeding in a simulated ecological greenhouse, the egg-laying rate can be greatly increased, the infringement of natural enemies can be reduced, and it is expected to improve the golden spot. The population size of the beaked swallowtail butterfly. He Guiqiang said that from another perspective, through scientific and reasonable artificial breeding, the number of wild populations can be effectively expanded and the degree of endangerment can be reduced. By protecting the umbrella-shaped flagship species, the Papilion butterfly, we also protect all the animals and plants that live with the Papilion butterfly, thus achieving the purpose of protecting Jinggangshan's biodiversity .
