Parnassiinae

Parnassiinae is a subfamily of butterflies.  It belongs in the family Papilionidae.  They are commonly known as Apollos and Parnassians.  The butterflies in this subfamily are only found in the Holarctic Region (the Holarctic Region is the northern part of North America and Eurasia).Bernard D'Abrera (1990).  Butterflies of the Holarctic Region Part 1: Papilionidae, Pieridae, Danaidae, and Satyridae (Partim).  Hill House, Victoria, Australia.  

The caterpillars and adults are poisonous to vertebrates.  The caterpillars are thought to be Müllerian mimics with millipedes.  The adult butterflies are thought to be Müllerian mimics with adult Whites.James A. Scott (1986).  The Butterflies of North America.  Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA.  

After mating, the male glues a structure to the end of the female's abdomen.  This keeps the female from mating again.  This structure is called a sphragis.

Tribes and genera
Parnassiini Duponchel, 1835
Hypermnestra Ménétriés, 1846
Parnassius Latreille, 1804
Luehdorfiini Chapman, 1895
Archon Hübner, 1819
Luehdorfia Crüger, 1878
Zerythiini
Sericinus Westwood, 1851
Bhutanitis Atkinson, 1873
Zerynthia Ochsenheimer, 1816
Allancastria Bryk, 1934

Extinct species
The two species listed here are extinct.  They are also of uncertain placement.

Doritites bosniackii Rebel, 1898†
Thaites ruminiana Scudder, 1875†

References

Other websites

Parnassiinae at Tree of Life 

Category:Papilionidae