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Battus philenor

(Pipevine Swallowtail)

Overview

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Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Pipevine Swallowtail, Pipe-Vine Swallowtail, Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly

Description

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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

Species Battus philenor

Upper surface of hindwing iridescent blue or blue-green. Underside of hindwing with submarginal row of 7 round orange spots in iridescent blue field . (ref. 105138)

Color:

Upper surface of hindwing iridescent blue or blue-green. Underside of hindwing with submarginal row of 7 round orange spots in iridescent blue field .

Size/Age/Growth

Wing span : 2 3/4 - 5 inches (7 - 13 cm).

Habitat

A wide variety of open habitats , open woodland, and woodland edges .

Typically along woodland borders , powerline clearings, roads, or wide trails through hardwoods or mixed woods . Usually seen not too far from deciduous woods, but it may occasionally be seen in weedy fields and brushy areas. Not often seen in the shade of forests , though the foodplants are forest interior species. Occasionally seen in gardens and urban areas. (ref. 104632)

Biology

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Diet

Caterpillar hosts: Pipevines (Aristolochia species), including Aristolochia californica, A. serpentaria and others. Adult food: Solely nectar from flowers including thistles (Cirsium species), bergamot, lilac, viper's bugloss, common azaleas, phlox, teasel, azaleas, dame's-rocket, lantana, petunias, verbenas, lupines, yellow star thistle, California buckeye, yerba santa, brodiaeas, and gilias.

Native food plants are restricted apparently to Dutchman's pipe (Aristolochia durior) and Virginia snakeroot (A. serpentaria), but the species also uses exotic species of Aristolochia planted in gardens. Adults use a wide variety of flowers for nectaring; when nectaring they flutter their wings constantly, seldom remaining still for a good photograph. (ref. 104632)

Reproduction

Adult males patrol likely habitat in search of receptive females. Females lay batches of eggs on underside of host plant leaves. Caterpillars feed in small groups when young but become solitary when older. Wintering is by the chrysalis .

Behavior

Flight: In the East and California, adults fly primarily in late spring and summer, but the butterfly is commoner in late summer and fall in the South and Southwest. Where lack of freezing temperatures permit , adults may fly continuously. In lowland tropical Mexico they may be found in any month.

Flight period: Late March to late October. Probably three broods, but some references suggest that there are just two broods in our area. Downstate generally from late March to late May, early June to late August, and a small brood in September and October. In the mountains, mid-April to mid-June, late June to late August, and in September and October. As with nearly all swallowtails, the gaps between flight periods are so small that the broods are overlapping. (ref. 104632)

Taxonomy

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Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Comment: LT ([f], J. C. Fabricius leg .)

Last scrutiny: 24-Jun-2006

Similar Species

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Distinguished from other dark swallowtails by mostly dark forewing, single row of orange spots on underhindwing, and lack of orange spot on dorsal hindwing.

Members of the genus Battus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 10 species and subspecies in this genus:

B. belus varus (Varus Swallowtail) · B. chalceus (Chalceus Swallowtail) · B. crassus (Crassus Swallowtail) · B. lycidas (Yellow-Trailed Swallowtail) · B. philenor (Pipevine Swallowtail) · B. polydamas (Gold Rim Swallowtail) · B. polydamas lucayus (Tailless Swallowtail) · B. polydamas polydamas (Gold-Rim Swallowtail) · B. polydamus (Polydamus Swallowtail) · B. zetides (Zetides Swallowtail)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal December 05, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=14&sci=Papilionidae&com=Parnassians and Swallowtails [back]
Last Revised: 7/14/2012