Papilio polyxenes

Black swallowtail
Male
Female

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Genus: Papilio
Species:
P. polyxenes
Binomial name
Papilio polyxenes
Fabricius, 1775
Subspecies
  • P. p. americus (Kollar, 1849)
  • P. p. asterius (Stoll, 1782)
  • P. p. coloro (Wright, 1905)
  • P. p. costarum (Andrés M, 2009)[3]
  • P. p. gerardi (Bollino and Vitale, 2002)
  • P. p. kahli (Chermock, 1937)
  • P. p. polyxenes (Fabricius, 1775)
  • P. p. sadalus (H. Lucas, 1892)
  • P. p. stabilis (Rothschild and Jordan, 1906)

Papilio polyxenes, the (eastern) black swallowtail, American swallowtail or parsnip swallowtail,[4] is a butterfly found throughout much of North America. An extremely similar-appearing species, Papilio joanae, occurs in the Ozark Mountains region, but it appears to be closely related to Papilio machaon, rather than P. polyxenes. The species is named after the figure in Greek mythology, Polyxena (pron.: /pəˈlɪksɨnə/; Greek: Πολυξένη), who was the youngest daughter of King Priam of Troy. Its caterpillar is called the parsley worm because the caterpillar feeds on parsley.[4]

Macro view of Papilio polyxenes caterpillar on Anthem graveolens

The Papilio polyxenes demonstrates polyandry and a lek mating system, showing no male parental care and display sites. Females are therefore able to choose males based on these sites and males are the only resource the females find at these sites.[5]

  1. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0 - Papilio polyxenes, Black Swallowtail". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  2. ^ Puttick, A.; Walker, A.; Hall, P. (2021). "Papilio polyxenes". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T110613568A110613582. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T110613568A110613582.en. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  3. ^ Orellana-B., Andrés M. "Description Of A New Tropical Subspecies Of The Black Swallowtail Butterfly, Papilio Polyxenes (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) From Venezuela". Boletín Científico Centro de Museos Museo de Historia Natural. 13 (1): 92–101.
  4. ^ a b Castner, J.L. "Electronic Data Information Source". Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. University of Florida. Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved 2013-08-23.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).