Papilio indra

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

Overview

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

Mountains, desert mountains, and canyons .

Biology

Diet

Caterpillar hosts: Aromatic herbs of the parsley family (Apiaceae) growing among rocks. Adult food: Flower nectar.

Reproduction

Males watch from rocky areas below tops of hills or mesas for receptive females. Females lay eggs singly on top of host plant leaves or on flowers. Caterpillars feed on the edges of leaves and hide at the base of plants . Chrysalids hibernate.

Behavior

Flight: One flight, with occasional late-flying individuals of desert populations, March-August.

Taxonomy

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 21-Jul-2007

Similar Species

Members of the genus Papilio

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 81 species and subspecies in this genus:

P. aegus (Citrus Swallowtail) · P. anchisiades (Ruby-Spotted Swallowtail) · P. andraemon (Bahaman Swallowtail) · P. androgeus (Androgeus Swallowtail) · P. antimachus (African Giant Swallowtail) · P. appalachiensis (Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail) · P. aristodemus (Schaus' Swallowtail) · P. aristodemus ponceanus (Papilio Aristodemus) · P. aristor (Scarce Haitian Swallowtail) · P. astyalus (Broad-Banded Swallowtail) · P. brevicauda (Short-Tailed Swallowtail) · P. brevicauda bretonensis (Short-Tailed Swallowtail) · P. brevicauda brevicauda (Short-Tailed Swallowtail) · P. brevicauda gaspeensis (Short-Tailed Swallowtail) · P. caiguanabus (Poey's Black Swallowtail) · P. canadensis (Canadian Tiger Swallowtail) · P. chikae (Luzon Peacock Swallowtail) · P. cresphontes (Giant Swallowtail) · P. cyproeofila (Common White-Banded Swallowtail) · P. demodocus (Citrus Swallowtail) · P. demodocus demodocus (Citrus Swallowtail Butterfly) · P. demoleus (Checkered Swallowtail Butterfly) · P. echerioides (White-Banded Swallowtail) · P. eurymedon (Pale Swallowtail) · P. garamas abderus (Abderus Swallowtail) · P. garamus (Magnificent Swallowtail) · P. glaucus (Eastern Tiger Swallowtail) · P. glaucus australis (Tiger Swallowtail) · P. glaucus canadensis (Canadian Tiger Swallowtail) · P. glaucus garcia (Eastern Tiger Swallowtail) · P. glaucus glaucus (Eastern Tiger Swallowtail) · P. homerus (Homerus Swallowtail) · P. hospiton (Corsican Swallowtail) · P. hyppason (Hyppason Swallowtail) · P. indra (Indra Swallowtail) · P. indra calcicola (Indra Swallowtail) · P. indra fordi (Ford's Swallowtail) · P. indra kaibabensis (Grand Canyon Swallowtail) · P. indra martini (Martin's Swallowtail) · P. indra minori (Minor's Swallowtail) · P. indra panamintensis (Panamint Swallowtail) · P. indra pergamus (Edwards' Swallowtail) · P. indra phyllisae (Indra Swallowtail) · P. indra pygmaeus (Indra Swallowtail) · P. joanae (Ozark Swallowtail) · P. jordani (Jordan's Swallowtail) · P. leucotaenia (Cream-Banded Swallowtail) · P. machaon (Old World Swallowtail) · P. machaon aliaska (Alaskan Old World Swallowtail) · P. machaon bairdii (Baird's Swallowtail) · P. machaon hudsonianus (Hudsonian Old World Swallowtail) · P. machaon oregonius (Oregon Swallowtail) · P. memnon (Great Mormon Butterfly) · P. menatius (Menatius Swallowtail) · P. morondavana (Madagascan Emperor Swallowtail) · P. multicaudata (Two-Tailed Swallowtail) · P. multicaudata multicaudata (Two-Tailed Swallowtail) · P. multicaudatus (Two-Tailed Swallowtail) · P. ornythion (Ornythion Swallowtail) · P. palamedes (Palamedes Swallowtail) · P. palinurus (Emerald Swallowtail) · P. phorbanta (Papillon La Pature) · P. pilumnus (Three-Tailed Swallowtail) · P. polytes (Common Mormon) · P. polyxenes (Black Swallowtail) · P. polyxenes asterius (Black Swallowtail) · P. polyxenes coloro (Desert Black Swallowtail) · P. polyxenes asterius f. pseudoamericus (Black Swallowtail) · P. rogeri (Pink-Spotted Swallowtail) · P. rogeri pharnaces (Pink-Spotted Swallowtail) · P. rumanzovia (Scarlet Mormon Swallowtail) · P. rutulus (Western Tiger Swallowtail) · P. sjoestedti (Kilimanjaro Swallowtail) · P. thoas (Thoas Swallowtail) · P. torquatus (Torquatus Swallowtail) · P. troilus (Coastal Spicebush Swallowtail) · P. victorine (Victorine Swallowtail) · P. victorinus (Victorine Swallowtail) · P. xuthus (Xuthus Swallowtail) · P. zelicaon (Anise Swallowtail) · P. zelicaon nitra (Nitra Swallowtail)

More Info

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Further Reading

• A manual of North American butterflies by Charles J. Maynard. Boston: De Wolfe, Fiske, 1891. url , .
• Annual report / Albany: University of the State of New York, 1902-1918. url p. 64.
• Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, -1965. url p. 396.
• Bibliography (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) / Charles A. Bridges. Urbana, Ill.: C.A. Bridges, c1993. url p. 136, p. 20, p. 217.
• Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences. Los Angeles, Calif.: The Academy, 1902-1971. url p. 115, p. 117, p. 133, p. 135, p. 144, p. 146, p. 44, p. 48, p. 68.
• Catalogue of Papilionidae & Pieridae (Lepidoptera, Rhopalocera) / Charles A. Bridges. Urbana, Ill: C.A. Bridges, 1988. url p. 5.
• 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] url p. 104, p. 104, p. 137, p. 137, p. 183, p. 183, p. 275, p. 31, p. 31, p. 316, p. 321, p. 321, p. 354, p. 354, p. 365, p. 365, p. 71, p. iii.
• Entomological news. [Philadelphia]American Entomological Society, 1925- url p. 57, p. 59, p. 61.
• Index to the literature of American economic entomology. Melrose Highlands, Mass. [etc.], American Association of Economic Entomologists [etc.], 1917-62. url p. 264.
• Journal of the New York Entomological Society. Lawrence, Kan.: Allen Press [etc.] url p. 169.
• Lepidoptera, rhopaloceres and heteroceres, indigenous and exotic; with descriptions and colored illustrations, by Herman Strecker. Reading, Pa., Owen's steam book and job printing office, 1872. url p. 10, p. 9.
• Museum bulletin / New York State Museum. Albany, N.Y.: University of the State of New York, 1908-1916. url p. 64.
• Proceedings of the Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences. Davenport, Ia., Academy of Natural Sciences [etc.] url p. 183, p. 267.
• Psyche. Cambridge, Mass.: Cambridge Entomological Club url p. 179, p. 180, p. 197.
• The Canadian entomologist. Ottawa [etc.]Entomological Society of Canada [etc.] url p. 110, p. 110, p. 120, p. 120, p. 289, p. 289, p. 306, p. 311, p. 311.
• The Entomologist. London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co., [1877- url .
• The Great Basin naturalist. 47 1987 Provo, Utah: M.L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University, 1939-1999. url p. 189, p. 195, p. 345, p. 449.
• The Journal of the Linnean Society of London. London: Academic Press [etc.], 1865-1968. url p. 472.
• The Lepidopterists' news: the monthly newsletter of the Lepidopterists' Society. Cambridge, Mass.: Lepidopterists' Society, 1947-1958. url p. 16, p. 88, p. 94.
• The Macrolepidoptera of the world; a systematic description of the hitherto known Macrolepidoptera, ed. in collaboration with well-known specialists. Stuttgart: Seitz'schen (Kernen), 1906- url p. 24.
• The University of Kansas science bulletin. 39 1958 [Lawrence]: University of Kansas, 1902-1996. url p. 311.
• The butterflies of North America, by William H. Edwards, series 1st-3d. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, 1884-88 [v. 1, 1888] url .
• The butterfly book a popular guide to a knowledge of the butterflies of North America / by W.J. Holland. Toronto: W. Briggs, 1898. url .
• The butterfly book: a popular guide to a knowledge of the butterflies of North America / by W.J. Holland. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page, 1922, c1898. url p. 196.
• The butterfly book; a popular guide to a knowledge of the butterflies of North America. With 48 plates in color-photography, reproductions of butterflies in the author's collection, and many text illustrations presenting 1922 Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday, Page, 1922 [c1898] url p. 312.
• The standard natural history / edited by John Sterling Kingsley. Boston: S.E. Cassino, 1884-85. url p. 498.
• The standard natural history. Ed. by John Sterling Kingsley. Boston, S.E. Cassino and company, 1884-85. url p. 498.
• Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World: the IUCN Red Data Book IUCN url p. 176.
• Zoe:a biological journal. 3 1892 San Diego, Calif. [etc.]Zoe Publishing Co. url p. 237, p. 237.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed March 27, 2012.
• GloBIS (GART)
• GloBIS (GART): Global Butterfly Information System. Release date: November 23, 2008
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 03, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from provider.
• LepIndex: The Global Lepidoptera Names Index
• Opler, Paul A., Harry Pavulaan, Ray E. Stanford, Michael Pogue, coordinators. Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: Mountain Prairie Information Node. March 26, 2007.
• 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).
• Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 03, 2008:

• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: E.C. Manning Park Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Royal British Columbia Museum Entomology Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Spencer Entomological Museum

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2631152
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Gar-310
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: IILEP94100
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 171830

Footnotes

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

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.