Overview
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.
Taxonomy
The Subfamily Papilioninae is a member of the Family Papilionidae. Here is the complete "parentage" of Papilioninae:
- Domain: Eukaryota
Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
A.M.A. Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex T. Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829 - Arthropods
- Subphylum: Mandibulata
Snodgrass, 1938
- Infraphylum: Atelocerata
Heymons, 1901
- Superclass: Panhexapoda
- Class: Insecta
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
- Subclass: Dicondylia
- Infraclass: Pterygota
- Winged Insects
- Cohort: Myoglossata
- Order: Lepidoptera
Linnaeus, 1758 - Butterflies and Moths
- Infraorder: Heteroneura
- a genus of Longhorned Beetles (Cerambycidae)
- Family: Papilionidae
P.A. Latreille, [1802] - Swallowtails
- Subfamily: Papilioninae - Swallowtails
- Family: Papilionidae
P.A. Latreille, [1802] - Swallowtails
- Infraorder: Heteroneura
- a genus of Longhorned Beetles (Cerambycidae)
- Order: Lepidoptera
Linnaeus, 1758 - Butterflies and Moths
- Cohort: Myoglossata
- Infraclass: Pterygota
- Winged Insects
- Subclass: Dicondylia
- Class: Insecta
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
- Superclass: Panhexapoda
- Infraphylum: Atelocerata
Heymons, 1901
- Subphylum: Mandibulata
Snodgrass, 1938
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829 - Arthropods
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
A.M.A. Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex T. Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Kingdom: Animalia
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
The Subfamily Papilioninae is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Tribe (4): Graphiini · Leptocircini · Papilionini · Troidini
- Genus (22): Atrophaneura · Battus · Cressida · Dabasa · Euryades · Eurycus · Eurytides · Graphium · Heraclides · Iphiclides · Lamproptera · Meandrusa · Mimoides · Ornithoptera · Pachliopta · Papilio · Parides · Protographium · Pterourus · Teinopalpus · Trogonoptera · Troides
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 4,912 species and subspecies in the Subfamily Papilioninae.
Genera
Atrophaneura
Atrophaneura, commonly referred to as the Red-bodied Swallowtails is a genus of butterflies in the Swallowtail family that are generally found in Asia. [more]
Battus
Battus can refer to: [more]
Cressida
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]
Dabasa
Euryades
Eurycus
Eurytides
Eurytides is a genus of in the Papilionidae family. [more]
Graphium
Graphium may refer to: [more]
Heraclides
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[1] [more]
Iphiclides
Iphiclides is a genus of butterflies of the family Papilionidae. [more]
Lamproptera
Meandrusa
Mimoides
Ornithoptera
Birdwings are butterflies native to mainland and archipelagic Southeast Asia and Australasia (with one Indian species), and are usually regarded as belonging to three genera: Ornithoptera, Trogonoptera and Troides. Some authorities include additional genera. The number of species ranges between 10 and 30 depending on the taxonomic treatment. Birdwings are named for their exceptional size, angular wings, and birdlike flight. [more]
Pachliopta
Papilio
Papilio is a genus in the swallowtail butterfly family, Papilionidae. The word papilio is Latin for butterfly. [more]
Parides
Parides is a of swallowtail butterfly (family Papilionidae). [more]
Protographium
Pterourus
Teinopalpus
Teinopalpus is a genus of in the Papilionidae family. It contains the following species: [more]
Trogonoptera
Birdwings are butterflies native to mainland and archipelagic Southeast Asia and Australasia (with one Indian species), and are usually regarded as belonging to three genera: Ornithoptera, Trogonoptera and Troides. Some authorities include additional genera. The number of species ranges between 10 and 30 depending on the taxonomic treatment. Birdwings are named for their exceptional size, angular wings, and birdlike flight. [more]
Troides
Birdwings are butterflies native to mainland and archipelagic Southeast Asia and Australasia (with one Indian species), and are usually regarded as belonging to three genera: Ornithoptera, Trogonoptera and Troides. Some authorities include additional genera. The number of species ranges between 10 and 30 depending on the taxonomic treatment. Birdwings are named for their exceptional size, angular wings, and birdlike flight. [more]
At least 213 species and subspecies belong to the Genus Troides.
More info about the Genus Troides may be found here.
Footnotes
Sources
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