# Purple emperor (*Apatura iris*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/purple-emperor  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The purple emperor (Apatura iris) is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup, placed in the family Nymphalidae. It belongs to the order Lepidoptera, superfamily Papilionoidea, subfamily Apaturinae and genus Apatura, within the class Insecta and phylum Arthropoda. The scientific name Apatura iris carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Scavenger |
| Main food | flowers |
| Habitat | forest, shrubland |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| On the wing | June to August |
| Generations a year | Several |
| Larval food plants | Salicaceae family |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Arthropoda
- class: Insecta
- order: Lepidoptera
- family: Nymphalidae
- genus: Apatura
- species: *Apatura iris* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Apatura chattendeni*, *Apatura chattendeni*, *Apatura iridella*, *Apatura iris iris*, *Apatura iris peninsularis*, *Apatura lutescens*, *Apatura maximinus*, *Apatura obscurior*, *Apatura pseudoiris*, *Apatura salicis*, *Apatura sari*, *Apatura sari*, *Apatura sorbioduni*, *Apatura sordioduni*, *Nymphalis iris*, *Papilio iris*, *Papilio suspirans*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the purple emperor?

The purple emperor is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup. It belongs to the order Lepidoptera.

### What is the scientific name of the purple emperor?

The scientific name of the purple emperor is Apatura iris. It is placed in the genus Apatura.

### Who named the purple emperor and when?

The scientific name Apatura iris has the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).

### What family does the purple emperor belong to?

The purple emperor belongs to the family Nymphalidae, in the subfamily Apaturinae.

### What superfamily is the purple emperor in?

The purple emperor is in the superfamily Papilionoidea, within the order Lepidoptera.

## Sources

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [LepTraits 1.0: a globally comprehensive dataset of butterfly traits](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19874602.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Shirey, V., Larsen, E., Doherty, A. et al. (2022) LepTraits 1.0: a globally comprehensive dataset of butterfly traits. Scientific Data 9: 382. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01473-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19874602.v1
- [TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844), CC BY 4.0, 2.0. Chauvier, Y., Adde, A., Bergamini, A. et al. (2025) TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Purple emperor (Apatura iris). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/purple-emperor