Papilio polyxenes

• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Description

Family Papilionidae

'The Papilionidae belong to the Superfamily Papilionoidea, the true butterflies. Swallowtails are worldwide in distribution and comprise approximately 560 species. They are richest in the tropics, and their brilliant colors make them favorites of butterfly enthusiasts. Many swallowtail species, especially in the tropics, mimic other butterflies that are distasteful, while others are distasteful and cause birds and other vertebrate predators to regurgitate. Swallowtail adults are medium to large and may or may not have tails, while parnassian adults are medium, tailless, and have translucent wings. All adult parnassians and swallowtails have three pairs of walking legs , and adults of all species visit flowers for nectar.

'[1]

Subfamily Papilioninae

Swallowtails are members of the Family Papilionidae. They comprise about 560 species, have a worldwide distribution, and are richest in the tropics. Many are brilliantly colored and are favorites of butterfly enthusiasts. Many species, especially those in the tropics, mimic other butterflies that are distasteful, while others are distasteful and cause birds and other vertebrate predators to regurgitate. Adults are medium to large, may or may not have tails, and have three pairs of walking legs . Adults of all species visit flowers for nectar. Males of most species patrol for mates, while males of one group (Black, Old World, Anise, and Indra Swallowtails) perch on hilltops or ridges instead of patrolling . Swallowtails lay globular eggs and overwinter as pupae. Some species spend more than one year in the pupal stage, likely to survive drought years when little caterpillar food is available. In arid areas, the Black, Anise, and Indra Swallowtails often display this strategy.

Physical Description

Habitat

Meadows, fields , farmland, gardens and watersides . Seldom found in woods or forests .

This species likes open country and is seldom seen in forests or even along forest edges. It prefers old fields, meadows, marshes, savannas , gardens, and other open places. (ref. 104719)

A variety of open areas including fields, suburbs, marshes, deserts, and roadsides. (ref. 105493)

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 462 meters (0 to 1,516 feet).[2]

Biology

Diet

Foodplants are species in the umbel family , such as Queen Anne's-lace (Daucus carota); both native and introduced species are used. Adults nectar on many species, such as milkweeds. (ref. 104719)

Caterpillar hosts: Leaves of plants in the parsley family (Apiaceae) including Queen Anne's Lace, carrot, celery and dill. Sometimes plants in the citrus family (Rutaceae) are preferred. (ref. 105493)

Adult food: Nectar from flowers including red clover, milkweed, and thistles. (ref. 105493)

Reproduction

Eggs are yellow. Caterpillars range up to 2" long, white to green with black bands on each segment, with yellow or orange spots. Host plants include Queen Anne's Lace and other members of the carrot family as well as some members of the citrus family. 2 or 3 broods; February - November in south.

Behavior

Flight period: Mid-March to mid-October; rarely to early November. There are apparently three broods, but the species seems to have a nearly continuous flight period. In the Piedmont and Coastal Plain , abundance peaks in July and August. (ref. 104719)

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms

1. Papilio Polyxenes Americus

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Häuser C. , 06-Oct-2006

Similar Species

Members of the genus Papilio

There are approximately 2626 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

P. abbreviatus · P. abderus · P. abdulazizia · P. abrisa · P. abstrusus · P. abyssinica · P. abyssinicus · P. acamas · P. acanthus · P. acastus · P. accius · P. acene · P. acenides · P. acenoides · P. acesta · P. achates · P. achatiades · P. acheron · P. acheronta · P. acis · P. acodes · P. acraeomimas · P. adaea · P. adamantius · P. adamastor · P. adaperta · P. addenda · P. additionis · P. adla · P. adrastus · P. adriatica · P. adventus · P. aegates · P. aegatinus · P. aegeus · P. aegeus aegeus · P. aegeus f.amanga · P. aegeus keianus · P. aegeus oberon · P. aegeus oritas · P. aegeus ormenus · P. aegeus websteri · P. aegialus · P. aegus (Citrus Swallowtail) · P. aelyus · P. aeneas · P. aenigma · P. aeropus · P. aestivalis · P. aestivoides · P. aestivus · P. aethiops · P. afer · P. agamedes · P. agamemnon · P. agamemnon argynnus · P. agamemnon comodus · P. agamemnon meton · P. agamemnon plisthenes · P. agasophus · P. agavus · P. agayana · P. agenor · P. agesilaus · P. agestor · P. agestorides · P. agestor agestor · P. aglaja · P. agordus · P. aguiari · P. ahasverus · P. aidoneus · P. aikeni · P. akames · P. akechia · P. akechiana · P. akinous · P. alameitu · P. alardus · P. alarich · P. albanus · P. albator · P. alberici · P. albescens · P. albicans · P. albinus · P. albinus albinus · P. albinus lesches · P. albofurculatus · P. albolineatus · P. albolunata · P. albomaculata · P. albosignata · P. albostriatus · P. alboventris · P. album · P. alcanor · P. alcidamas · P. alcidinus · P. alcindor

More Info

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Further Reading

• A manual for the study of insects, by John Henry Comstock and Anna Botsford Comstock Ithaca, N.Y., Comstock Publishing Company, 1916 [c1895] ENG url p. 376, p. 377, p. 693.
• Agriculture of Maine: annual report of the Commissioner of Agriculture of the State of Maine. Augusta: [State of Maine, Dept. of Agriculture, 1903-1940.] ENG url p. 176, p. 225, p. 230.
• American insects, by Vernon L. Kellogg with many original illustrations by Mary Wellman. New York, H. Holt and Company, 1905. ENG url p. 440, p. 450.
• An ecological study of prairie and forest invertebrates / by Charles C. Adams. Urbana, Ill.: Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History, 1915. ENG url p. 162, p. 46.
• An introduction to entomology, by John Henry Comstock. Ithaca, New York, The Comstock publishing co., inc., 1933. ENG url p. 740.
• An introduction to entomology. Ithaca, N.Y., Comstock, 1949. ENG url p. 740.
• Annals of the Carnegie Museum. [Pittsburgh]: Published by authority of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Institute, 1901- ENG url p. 29.
• Annual report / Entomological Society of Ontario. Toronto, The Society. ENG url p. 14, p. 152, p. 188.
• Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, -1965. ENG url p. 441.
• Annual report of the Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture of the State of Michigan Lansing: The Board, 1862- ENG url p. 179, p. 190.
• Applied entomology; an introductory text-book of insects in thier relations to man, by H. T. Fernald. New York [etc.]McGraw-Hill book company, inc., 1921. ENG url p. 298, p. 382.
• Bibliographia zoologica. Leipzig: Wilhelm Engelmann, 1896-1934. MUL url p. 362.
• Biological survey of the Mount Desert Region, conducted by William Procter... From the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, Mount Desert Island, Maine. Philadelphia, The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, 1927-1946. ENG url p. 147, p. 394, p. 469.
• Bulletin - United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.];1877-1971. ENG url p. 12, p. 179, p. 189, p. 191, p. 199, p. 21, p. 23, p. 238, p. 27, p. 31, p. 324, p. 35, p. 37, p. 43, p. 44, p. 45, p. 6, p. 7.
• Bulletin of the Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History. Bloomington, Ill.: The Laboratory, 1878-[1918]. ENG url p. 162, p. 45, p. 46.
• Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. Cambridge, Mass.: The Museum, ENG url p. 108.
• Bulletin of the Natural History Society of New Brunswick. St. John, N. B., Natural History Society of New Brunswick. ENG url p. 121.
• Butterflies and Moths of North America.
• Butterflies worth knowing, by Clarence M. Weed... illustrated by forty-eight plates, thirty-two in color. Garden City, New York, Doubleday, Page and company[c1917] ENG url p. 285, p. 59, p. 81.
• Catalog of hymenoptera in America north of Mexico / prepared cooperatively by specialists on the various groups of Hymenoptera under the direction of Karl V. Krombein [et al.]. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1979- ENG url p. 249, p. 405, p. 809.
• Catalogue of the books, manuscripts, maps and drawings in the British Museum (Natural History) London: BM(NH), 1903-1940. ENG url p. 203.
• Class book of economic entomology, with special reference to the economic insects of the northern United States and Canada, by William Lochhead with 257 illustrations. Philadelphia, Blakiston[c1919] ENG url p. 174, p. 430.
• Elementary entomology, by E. Dwight Sanderson and C.F. Jackson. Boston, Ginn and Company[c1912] ENG url p. 176, p. 369, p. 49.
• Elementary studies in insect life, by Samuel J. Hunter. Topeka, Kan., Crane and company, 1902. ENG url p. 13, p. 340.
• Entomological contributions in memory of Byron A. Alexander / edited by George W. Byers, Robert H. Hagen and Robert W. Brooks. Lawrence, Kan.: Natural History Museum, the University of Kansas, 1999. ENG url p. 250.
• Entomological news, and proceedings of the Entomological Section of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Philadelphia[Entomological Rooms of the Academy of Natural Sciences] ENG url p. 143, p. 183, p. 196, p. 297, p. 330, p. 348, p. 364, p. 405, p. 98.
• Entomological news. [Philadelphia]American Entomological Society, 1925- ENG url p. 12, p. 182, p. 273, p. 306, p. 79, p. 9.
• Entomologische Nachrichten. Berlin [etc.], R. Friedländer [etc.]. GER url p. 48.
• Evolution and adaptation, by Thomas Hunter Morgan, Ph. D. New York, The Macmillan company;1903. ENG url p. 3.
• Experiment station record. Washington: G.P.O., 1889-1946. ENG url p. 874.
• Frail children of the air; excursions into the world of butterflies, by Samuel Hubbard Scudder. Boston, Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1897. ENG url p. 159, p. 219, p. 278.
• General zoology / by H. L. Wieman. New York; McGraw-Hill book company, inc., 1938. ENG url p. 431.
• Guide to the insects of Connecticut, prepared under the direction of Wilton Everett Britton Hartford, Printed for The State Geological and Natural History Survey, 1911-27. ENG url p. 192, p. 343.
• Hymenoptera Orientalis: or contributions to a knowledge of the Hymenoptera of the Oriental zoological region. Manchester: Literary and Philosophical Society, 1889-1903. ENG url p. 66, p. 80.
• Injurious and beneficial insects of California. / By E. O. Essig. Sacramento, California state printing office, 1915 ENG url p. 25, p. 454, p. 59.
• Insect life; an introduction to nature-study and a guide for teachers, students, and others interested in out-of-door life. By John Henry Comstock. With many original illustrations engraved by Anna Botsford Comstock. New York, D.Appleton and Company, 1897. ENG url p. 347.
• Introduction to evolution. New York, Harper[1962] ENG url p. 374.
• Jahrbücher des Nassauischen Vereins für Naturkunde. Wiesbaden: J.F. Bergmann, GER url p. 97.
• Journal of Hymenoptera research. Washington, D.C.: International Society of Hymenopterists, [1992- ENG url p. 163, p. 211.
• Journal of the New York Entomological Society. Lawrence, Kan.: Allen Press [etc.] ENG url p. 141.
• Lectures in biological science, presented by Norman G. Anderson [and others] A symposium held December 3-5, 1959, sponsored jointly by the University of Tennessee Chapter of Sigma Xi and the Biology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Knoxville, University of Tennessee Press, 1963. ENG url p. 61.
• Manual of vegetable-garden insects, by Cyril Richard Crosby and Mortimer Demarest Leonard New York, The Macmillan company, 1918. ENG url p. 388.
• Novitates Zoologicae. London. url p. 430, p. 540, p. 545.
• Occasional papers of the California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco: California Academy of Sciences, ENG url p. 6.
• Postilla. New Haven, Peabody Museum of Natural History, 1950-2004. ENG url p. 29, p. 31, p. 33, p. 5.
• Proceedings of the United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.] ENG url p. 4, p. 573.
• Scientific survey of Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands / New York Academy of Sciences. New York, N.Y.: The Academy, 1919- url p. 539.
• Smithsonian miscellaneous collections. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1862-1968. ENG url p. 1, p. 15.
• The Biological bulletin. Woods Hole, Mass.: Marine Biological Laboratory, ENG url p. 8.
• The Canadian entomologist. Ottawa [etc.]Entomological Society of Canada [etc.] ENG url p. 118, p. 167, p. 31, p. 311, p. 34, p. 36, p. 426.
• The Canadian field-naturalist. Ottawa, The Ottawa-Field-Naturalists Club. ENG url p. 142, p. 173, p. 9.
• The Entomologist's record and journal of variation. [s.l., s.n.] ENG url p. 200, p. 201, p. 228, p. 308.
• The Ohio journal of science. [Columbus, Ohio, The Ohio State University and the Ohio Academy of Science] ENG url p. 223.
• The Review of applied entomology. [Farnham Royal, Eng., etc.: Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, etc.] ENG url p. 119, p. 291, p. 306, p. 429, p. 551, p. 587, p. 652, p. 666, p. 668, p. 671, p. 705, p. 763, p. 765.
• The University of Kansas science bulletin. [Lawrence]: University of Kansas, 1902-1996. ENG url p. 311.
• The butterflies of the eastern United States and Canada: with special reference to New England / By Samuel Hubbard Scudder. Cambridge: The author, 1889. ENG url p. 1145, p. 1294, p. 1352, p. 1353, p. 1355, p. 1361, p. 1363, p. 1398, p. 1759, p. 1760, p. 1851, p. 1871, p. 1878, p. 1879, p. 1903, p. 1936, p. 1942, p. 1947, p. 287, p. 532, p. 6, p. 747.
• Transactions of the American Entomological Society. Philadelphia: The Society at the Academy of Natural Sciences, 1890- ENG url p. 55, p. 56.
• Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science. Topeka, Kan.: W.Y. Morgan, 1903- ENG url p. 137.

Notes

Contributors

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 and ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 4, 2006.
• Butterflies of North Carolina
• GloBIS (GART)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 03, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 3 providers.
• Global Butterfly Information System4, 0.14, 2006.
• LepIndex: The Global Lepidoptera Names Index
• Marlin, Bruce. CirrusImage.com.
• Opler, Paul A., Kelly Lotts, and Thomas Naberhaus, coordinators. 2009. Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: Big Sky Institute. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/ (Version of April 17, 2009).
• Pippen, Jeffrey S. Jeff's Nature Page. Accessed December 2, 2007.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 03, 2008:

• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Fredericton Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Alan Wormington Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Atlantic Forestry Centre Insect Reference Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Canadian National Collection (CNC) of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Great Lakes Forestry Centre Insect Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Jeff Ogden Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Lepidopterists Society Season Summaries 1973-1997
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Lyman Entomological Museum
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: McMaster University Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: New Brunswick Museum Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Northern Forestry Centre Arthropod Collection, Edmonton
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Subenacadie, NS, Canada
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, Halifax, NS, Canada
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Point Pelee National Park Collection, Canada
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Provincial Museum of Alberta
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Ross A. Layberry Observations
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Royal Ontario Museum: Entomology
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Royal Saskatchewan Museum Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: University of Guelph, Department of Environmental Biology
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: University of New Brunswick Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: University of Saskatchewan
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: University of Western Ontario Collection
• Illinois Natural History Survey
• National Institute of Genetics, ROIS: Entomological Specimens of Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo Pref., Japan

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2328920
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Gar-312
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13794919
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 188543
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: IILEP94010
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 11564

Footnotes

1. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=14&sci=Papilionidae&com=Parnassians and Swallowtails [back]
2. Mean = 170.390 meters (559.022 feet), Standard Deviation = 86.940 based on 469 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

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