The forewings are black. On the wing leading edge there are two groups of white spots. There are some white spots in the middle of wing. There is a blue iridescence on hole wing.
The underside is brown, black and grey. All white spots from upside are there. Nearby the body there are one white and two black spots. There is a big orange eye with black and blue core in the middle of wing. There is a black area around the eye. The margin is grey.

The hind wings are black. The margin is ridged. There is a long white band  with a spike in the middle of wing. In back there is a auburn ring. There is a blue iridescence on hole wing.
The underside is brown and grey. The margin and the area around the body are grey. The white band with the spike from upside is also there. In back there is a blue spot.

The body is grey but the upside is black.

Sex differences: The female has no blue iridescence.

The flight period of the Purple Emperor is from June to August.

Willow

The first description of this butterfly was in 1758 by Linnaeus. There are four subspecies.

• Apatura iris amurensis   [Stichel, 1909]
• Apatura iris bieti   [Oberthür, 1885]
• Apatura iris kansuensis   [O. Bang-Haas, 1933]
• Apatura iris xanthina   [Oberthür, 1909]

The caterpillar is green with yellow strips and has two horns on head. The pupa has no silken girdl. This species overwinters as caterpillar.
Some of this butterflies has no white on wings. This form named jole.

The distribution of Purple Emperor overlap with the distributions of the Lesser Purple Emperor (Apatura ilia) and the Freyer's Purple Emperor (Apatura metis).
The following differentiators are very useful to differ these similar species.

• The Lesser Purple Emperor has rings on forewings.
• The Lesser Purple Emperor has no spike in the white band on hind wings.
• The white is replaced by orange at the Freyer's Purple Emperor.
  
  
  

• CITES: (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora):
  
  -no entry- (as at 23.06.2005)
  
  
• EU regulation on trading with species of wild Fauna and Flora
  
  -no entry- (as at 19.08.2005)
  
  
• IUCN Red List of threatened species:
  
  -no entry- (as at 2004)  (see: www.redlist.org/)
  
  
• Red List of endangered species of Austria:
  
  -endangered- (category 3)-  (see: www.roteliste.at/)
  
  
• Regulation of the Viennese regional government:
  
  -protected as imago-  (see: www.wien.gv.at/recht/landesrecht-wien/rechtsvorschriften/html/l4800200.htm
  
  
  

Apatura ilia [Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775] (Lesser Purple Emperor, Kleine Schillerfalter, Le Petit Mars)

Apatura metis [Freyer, 1829] (Freyer's Purple Emperor, Donauschillerfalter)

Apatura iris Linnaeus 1758

 Purple Emperor
 Großer Schillerfalter
 Le Grand Mars changeant
 Tornasolada
 Stor skimmerfjäril; Irisfjäril
 Häiveperhonen
Grote weerschijnvlinder
Iris
 Mieniak tęczowiec
Batolec duhový

• Kingdom:    ANIMALIA
• Phylum:    ARTHROPODA
• Class:    INSECTA
• Order:    LEPIDOPTERA
• Suborder:    DITRYSIA
• Superfamily:    PAPILIONOIDAE
• Family:    NYMPHALIDAE
• Subfamilie:    APATURINAE
• Tribe:    ---
• Genus:    APATURA
• Specific name:    IRIS

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