Description of Colorful Swallowtails Butterflies

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.

The antennae are relatively short for the size of the butterfly, and the club at the end of the antenna is often curved and with a blunt apex. The eyes are smooth and the labial palps are variable, but are typically short, comprised of dense hairs and ascending. All legs are fully-functional in both sexes, each leg possessing a pair of claws.

The venation of the Papilionidae is unique in that, in the majority of species, veins 1a and 1c on the forewing are both very short, with vein 1c found near the base of the wing. The hindwing usually has a single anal vein, with vein 4 extending into the tail for those species that are tailed and vein 8 connecting to the cell near its base. The hindwing inner margin is concave and the adjacent wing is hairy. Androconial scales are absent in all European species.

Eggs are spherical or hemispherical with a granular surface. Larvae are varied, but are usually in possession of an osmeterium, a defence mechanism comprising a retractable and fleshy forked organ found in the first thoracic segment and that gives off an odour. While variable, the pupa is typically secured in an upright position, attached to a surface by a silken girdle and by the cremaster to a silken pad.

Classification:

• Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
• Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
• Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
• Class Insecta (Insects)
• Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
• Superfamily Papilionoidea (Butterflies and Skippers)
• Family Papilionidae (Swallowtails, Parnassians)

Identification

Large, striking butterflies with hind wings usually displaying characteristic elongated tails. These are believed to mimic antennae, distracting predators from more crucial body parts. It is not uncommon to see swallowtail butterflies with one or both tails missing, probably for this reason. However, there are a few species, for instance in genus Parides, that have no significant tails, and some that have more than one per wing.

Eggs are globular. Larvae have antennae-like structures called osmeteria behind the head that they can extrude, at the same time emitting pungent chemicals, to deter predators. Pupae (chrysalides) are usually green or brown and are attached by a knob of silk at one end and a thin silken girdle around the middle. 

Adults feed on flower nectar. Caterpillars feed on a variety of woody and herbaceous plants, depending on the species.

The swallowtail butterfly family, Papilionidae, consists of at least 550 species, many of which are large and colorful and recognizable even to non-specialists. While the majority of swallowtail species are found in tropical latitudes, representatives from the family can be found on every continent except Antarctica, and can be common in both tropical and temperate habitats. Swallowtail butterfly diversity is greatest in East and Southeast Asia, a region where many natural butterfly habitats are under extreme threat of destruction due to human activity. Some swallowtails, particularly representatives from the genus Parnassius, may fly at very high elevations. The birdwing butterflies (Troidini: Troides) of Australasia are the largest butterflies in the world. Collins and Morris provide an overview of the patterns of swallowtail diversity around the world.

The name 'swallowtail' refers to a tail-like extension on the edge of the hindwing that is found in many, though not all, papilionids. The function of this tail is not known, but genetic studies in some species of Papilio suggest the tail is a labile character whose expression is controlled by a single gene.

Within the Papilionidae, many families of larval hostplants are utilized, although five families generally dominate the host records: Aristolochiaceae, Annonaceae, Lauraceae, Apiaceae, and Rutaceae. Notably, the swallowtail tribes Zerynthiini (Parnassiinae), Luehdorfiini (Parnassiinae) and Troidini (Papilioninae) are limited almost exclusively to feeding on Aristolochiaceae. It has been demonstrated in a number of Aristolochia-feeders that caterpillars are able to sequester aristolochic acids, causing both the larval and adult stages to be unpalatable to predators.

Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies in the family Papilionidae, and include over 550 species. Though the majority are tropical, members of the family inhabit every continent except Antarctica. The family includes the largest butterflies in the world, the birdwing butterflies of the genus Ornithoptera.

Swallowtails have a number of distinctive features, for example, the papilionid caterpillar bears a repugnatorial organ called the osmeterium on its prothorax. The osmeterium normally remains hidden, but when threatened, the larva turns it outward through a transverse dorsal groove by inflating it with fluid.

The forked appearance in some of the swallowtails' hindwings, which can be seen when the butterfly is resting with its wings spread, gave rise to the common name swallowtail. As for its formal name, Linnaeus chose Papilio for the type genus, as papilio is Latin for 'butterfly'. For the specific epithets of the genus, Linnaeus applied the names of Greek figures to the swallowtails. The type species: Papilio machaon honored Machaon, one of the sons of Asclepius, mentioned in the Iliad. Further, the species Papilio homerus is named after the Greek poet, Homer.

Swallowtail butterflies practice Batesian mimicry, a behavior in which the butterflies' appearance closely resemble that of distasteful species that prevents predation. Swallowtails differ from many animals that practice mimicry. The tiger swallowtail butterfly (Papilio glaucus), exhibits a female-limited polymorphism for Batesian mimicry and others, such as the Canadian tiger swallowtail (Papilio canadensis) do not display any form of mimicry.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this family contains the largest butterflies in the world, including the birdwings of the Troides and Ornithoptera, the latter including Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae), the largest butterfly in the world. This family is found in all zoogeographical regions and contains over 500 species, with the various genera differing widely in terms of appearance and behavior. Although the majority of species in this family are tailed, and known collectively as the 'swallowtails', a considerable number are not, such as the apollos and festoons.