Papilio xuthus

"Asian swallowtail" redirects here. For the other butterfly with this common name, see Papilio lowi.

Asian swallowtail
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Genus: Papilio
Species:
P. xuthus
Binomial name
Papilio xuthus
Linnaeus, 1767

Papilio xuthus, the Asian swallowtail, Chinese yellow swallowtail, Japanese Swallowtail,[1] or Xuthus swallowtail, is a yellow-colored, medium to large sized swallowtail butterfly found in northeast Asia, northern Myanmar, southern China, Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, Japan (from Hokkaidō to the Yaeyama Islands), Siberia and the Hawaiian Islands.[2] The butterfly has been observed thrice in New Zealand. Once in Dunedin in 1996 emerging from a chrysalis in a car yard specializing in Japanese used cars; it is thought the chrysalis arrived through one of the cars.[1] and later in Auckland in 2011 and 2016. [3] It was also recorded in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, India, in 2014.[4]

It mates multiple times in its life, leading to an increased genetic diversity in its young.[5] It is preyed upon by a host of organisms, including the tree cricket Oecanthus longicauda, ant Lasius niger, and wasps (Polistes and Trogus mactator).[6] P. xuthus utilizes color vision and color constancy while foraging for plants of the family Rutaceae.[7]

It is common and not threatened.[2] Papilio xuthus is common in urban, suburban, woods and orange orchards. The flight period is from May to August.[8]

Males use both physical and visual cues to attract mates during the breeding season. Females of the species regularly mate with multiple partners. After mating, females use habitat and food quality to determine where they will oviposit their eggs.

  1. ^ a b Crowe, Andrew (2002). Which New Zealand insect? with over 650 life-size photos of New Zealand insects. Auckland, N.Z: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-100636-9.
  2. ^ a b Collins, N. Mark; Morris, Michael G. (1985). "Papilio (Princeps) xuthus (Linnaeus, 1760)". Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World: The IUCN Red Data Book. Gland & Cambridge: IUCN. p. 95. ISBN 978-2-88032-603-6 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  3. ^ "Chinese Yellow Swallowtail (Papilio xuthus)". iNaturalist.
  4. ^ Kunte, K.; P. Roy; S. Kalesh; U. Kodandaramaiah, eds. (2016). "Papilio xuthus Linnaeus, 1767 – Asian Yellow Swallowtail". Butterflies of India, v. 2.24. Indian Foundation for Butterflies. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Watanabe was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference watanabetwo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference kinoshita was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference butterflycorner was invoked but never defined (see the help page).