Swallowtail butterfly

Swallowtail butterflies
Western Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio rutulus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Suborder:	Ditrysia
Superfamily:	Papilionoidea
Family:	Papilionidae Latreille, [1802]
Type species
Papilio machaon (Old World Swallowtail)
Subfamilies and genera
There are 26 genera and about 605 species: Subfamily Baroniinae Baronia Subfamily Parnassiinae Allancastria Archon Bhutanitis Hypermnestra Luehdorfia Parnassius Sericinus Subfamily Papilioninae Atrophaneura Battus Cressida Euryades Eurytides Graphium Iphiclides Lamproptera Losaria Meandrusa Mimoides Ornithoptera Pachliopta Papilio Parides Pharmacophagus Protesilaus Protographium Teinopalpus Trogonoptera Troides

Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies that form the family Papilionidae. There are at least 550 species, and though the majority are tropical, members of the family are found on all continents except Antarctica. The family includes the largest butterflies in the world, the birdwing butterflies of Australia (genus Ornithoptera).^[1]

Swallowtails differ from all other butterflies in a number of anatomical traits. Most notably, their caterpillars possess a unique organ behind their heads, called the osmeterium. Normally hidden, this forked structure can be everted when the caterpillar is threatened, or forced out with a gentle squeeze, and emits smelly secretions containing terpenes. The adults are often tailed like the forked tail of some swallows, giving the insect its name.

Classification

The genera of extant swallowtails are usually classified into three subfamilies, Baroniinae, Parnassiinae, and Papilioninae, the latter two being further divided into tribes. The tribes recognized are Baroniini, Parnassiini, Zerynthiini, Luehdorfiini, Leptocircinini, Teinopalpini, Troidiini, and Papilionini. An additional subfamily, Praepapilioninae, has a single extinct member known only from a fossil.^[2] A proposed phylogeny of the Papilionidae is given below:^[3]

The Swallowtail butterflies in the tribe Papilionini number about 225 species and studies have been made on their host-plant coevolution and phylogeny. A study found that the Papilios are monophyletic and old morphological classifications were also found to be valid in that they formed clusters. Species belonging to the groups that use Rutaceae as host plants formed two groups corresponding to Old World and American taxa. Those that fed on Lauraceae and Magnoliaceae were found to form another cluster which includes both Asian and American taxa.^[4]

Papilio homerus, the largest swallowtail in the Western Hemisphere

Papilio glaucus, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (dark form)

Tiger Swallowtail

Swallowtail tribes Zerynthiini (Parnassiinae), Luehdorfiini (Parnassiinae) and Troidini (Papilioninae) almost exclusively use the Aristolochiaceae family as their host plants. Many species sequester aristolochic acids, causing both the larval and adult stages to be unpalatable to predators.^[5]

The subfamily Baroniinae is represented by the sole representative species Baronia brevicornis. They are unique in the family to use the Fabaceae as their larval host plants.

The Apollos, Parnassiinae, are a distinctive group and all species are alpine and capable of living at high altitudes. Most species have two small reddish spots on their hindwings. The genera Parnassius and Hypermnestra were found to be extremely close based on molecular studies.^[6] After mating, the male Parnassines produce a glue like substance that is used to seal the female genital opening and prevent other males from mating.

The pupae are typically attached to the substrate by the cremaster but with head up held by a silk girdle. The apollos however pupate in debris on the ground and also build a loose cocoon. In the temperate regions the winters are passed in a pupal diapause stage.

Swallowtails and humans

Swallowtail butterflies, being large, colourful, and attractive, have been the target of butterfly collectors in earlier times. The largest of these, the Birdwing butterflies are particularly sought after and are cultured in butterfly farms for the purpose of collectors.

Many members of the family feed as larvae on plants of the citrus family, Rutaceae. Some of these attractive butterflies are therefore considered pests in citrus orchards.

The Oregon Swallowtail is the state insect of Oregon; the eastern tiger swallowtail is the state insect of Virginia and the state butterfly of Georgia, Delaware, and South Carolina.

Notable species

• Anise Swallowtail, Papilio zelicaon
• Apollo, Parnasius apollo
• Black Swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes
• Canadian Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio canadensis
• Giant Swallowtail, "Papilio cresphontes"
• Clouded Apollo, Parnassius mnemosyne
• Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio glaucus
• Old World Swallowtail, Papilio machaon
• Citrus Swallowtail, Papilio demodocus
• Pipevine Swallowtail, Battus philenor
• Scarce Swallowtail, Iphiclides podalirius
• Spicebush Swallowtail, Papilio troilus
• Western Tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus
• Zebra Swallowtail, Eurytides marcellus
• Depuiset's Swallowtail Papilio laglaizei
• Corsican Swallowtail Papilio hospiton

Notable species in Japan

• Alpine Black Swallowtail, Papilio maackii
• Asian Swallowtail, Papilio xuthus (most Japanese recognize this species as Common Swallowtail)
• Chinese Peacock, Papilio bianor
• Common Bluebottle, Graphium sarpedon
• Great Mormon, Papilio memnon
• Old World Swallowtail, Papilio machaon
• Red Helen, Papilio helenus
• Spangle, Papilio protenor

In popular culture

In the 1996 Season of the popular Japanese Metal Hero Series B-Fighter Kabuto and the 1997 American show Beetleborgs Metallix, one of the B-fighters/Astral Borgs motifs was a swallowtail hence her Japanese designated name "B-Fighter Ageha". Though her insect designation was never announced in Beetleborgs Metallix, her name being Ladyborg, the astral coin that was used to summon her has the illustration of a swallowtail.

In the manga and anime Bleach, Shinigami use Hell Butterflies to send messages and travel between Soul Society and the Living World (Earth); the same butterflies also guide souls during soul burials. These swallowtails are entirely black except for a few red markings on the wings, making them resemble Papilio protenor.^[7]

Beautifly from the Pokemon series.

The band Rudolf Steiner, later known as Schwarz Stein, recorded a song entitled 黒揚羽 (lit. Black Swallowtail) on an early demotape. It is a track on the 2006 collaboration album Another Cell.

The band Elvenking recorded a song titled Swallowtail, which was released on their 2006 album, The Winter Wake.

Swallowtail butterflies appear in the manga xxxHolic.

Paramore's 2009 release "Brand New Eyes" features a dissected swallowtail butterfly on its cover.

Graphium caterpillar	Second or third instar Papilio glaucus caterpillar showing osmeterium	Papilio cresphontes - Giant Swallowtail Butterfly	Small Apollo Parnassius phoebus
Swallowtail butterfly in Italy	Asian swallowtail	Swallowtail chrysalis appears as broken twig	Swallowtail pupa unobstructed
same pupa, about to evert osmeterium	osmeterium everted by gentle pressure	last instar of caterpillar	last instar of caterpillar, additional view
macro of less common green chrysalis

References

External links

• Tree of Life Papilionidae
• revised GloBIS/GART species checklist
• Afrotropical Kite Swallowtails
• BBC News: "LEDs work like butterflies' wings" on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
• Eurytides marcellus, zebra swallowtail
• Papilio aristodemus ponceanus, Schaus swallowtail
• Papilio demoleus, lime swallowtail
• Papilio glaucus, tiger swallowtail
• Papilio palamedes, palamedes swallowtail
• "Rare Swallowtail butterfly makes a comeback in Britain" Laura Roberts, The Telegraph, 5 August 2010