Aglais io (Peacock butterfly)

The provided sources treat Aglais io as a taxonomic and cultural subject rather than a mythic origin figure. Scientific and natural-history accounts describe it as a species in the order Lepidoptera with a full life cycle (egg → larva/caterpillar → chrysalis → adult). Archival and artistic collections (e.g., the Endlos / Charles J. Sharp archive) present the species as an object of aesthetic and cultural interest, preserving drawings, paintings, textiles and photographs that reflect human observation and appreciation rather than mythic narratives.

Adults have a rusty-red base wing colour with a distinctive black, blue and yellow eyespot at each wingtip; the underside is cryptically dark brown or black and mimics a dead leaf. Wingspan is reported at about 63–69 mm in males and 67–75 mm in females. Larvae are shiny black with six rows of barbed spikes and a series of white dots on each segment, growing to roughly 42 mm. Eggs are olive green and ribbed; chrysalids may be grey, brown or green and sometimes show a blackish tinge. Named subspecies noted in the sources include A. io caucasica (Azerbaijan) and A. io geisha (Japan and the Russian Far East).

Described behaviours and ecological traits include hibernation of adults over winter with re-emergence in spring, adult nectar-feeding on a wide variety of flowers and later-season use of tree sap and overripe/rotting fruit, and larval feeding on host plants such as stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), small nettle (Urtica urens) and hop (Humulus lupulus). The species exhibits territorial male behaviour—males select perching territories and fly toward passing flying objects, chasing off other males and pursuing females in extended courtship chases and high-performance flight. Research attention has focused on the function of the wing eyespots as an anti-predator adaptation. Reproduction occurs in batches of eggs (up to ~400), with reported flight and reproduction peaks in early spring and early summer and possible additional autumn activity reported in recent regional studies.