In insect–plant biology, oviposition choices and larval development on different host plants are crucial factors to be investigated. To design conservation strategies for protected Lepidoptera, which are overall oligophagous but locally monophagous, it is important to understand which host plant species is locally preferred. We thus investigated oviposition choices and larval development of the protected butterfly Zerynthia polyxena in controlled laboratory conditions, using three possible host plant species which are present in the Piedmont region: Aristolochia pallida, A. clematitis, and A. rotunda. We found that laboratory conditions are not favorable for Z. polyxena oviposition, even if the fertility of the females was in normal range for Papilionidae. However, we were able to understand the local monophagy of the species on A. pallida in the Susa Valley through larval survival and development stages. Egg hatching was similar among the three host plant species; however, even if larvae eat and grow similarly on the different host plant species until the third larval stage, the only larvae that reached the pupal stage were those fed with A. pallida. In conclusion, whereas Z. polyxena is oligophagous in the rest of Europe for the genus Aristolochia, the species is locally monophagous on A. pallida in the Susa Valley.

中文翻译：

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Zerynthia polyxena 在苏萨河谷的马兜铃上局部单食

在昆虫-植物生物学中，不同寄主植物的产卵选择和幼虫发育是需要研究的关键因素。要为受保护的鳞翅目设计保护策略，这些鳞翅目总体上是寡食性的，但局部是单食性的，重要的是要了解当地首选的寄主植物物种。因此，我们使用皮埃蒙特地区存在的三种可能的宿主植物物种：Aristolochia pallida、A. clematitis 和 A. rotunda，在受控的实验室条件下研究了受保护蝴蝶 Zerynthia polyxena 的产卵选择和幼虫发育。我们发现实验室条件不利于 Z. polyxena 产卵，即使雌性的生育能力在凤蝶科的正常范围内。然而，我们能够了解 A 上物种的局部单食性。苏萨河谷中的苍白蝇通过幼虫的生存和发育阶段。三种寄主植物的卵孵化相似；然而，即使幼虫在不同的寄主植物物种上以相似的方式进食和生长，直到第三个幼虫阶段，到达蛹期的唯一幼虫是那些喂食苍白球藻的幼虫。总之，虽然 Z. polyxena 在欧洲其他地区的马兜铃属是寡食性的，但该物种在苏萨谷的 A. pallida 上是局部单食性的。