Battus philenor philenor

(Linnaeus, 1771)

Vernacular names
English : Pipevine swallowtail
French : Papillon de l’aristoloche

Classification
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Papilionidae
Notes : 4 other subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can reach a wingspan of 13 cm. Black body with white spots on sides of abdomen. Wings black and metallic blue. Underside features a row of orange spots, upperside has clear blue spots. White-edged hindwings with short “tail”.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in the Southern half of USA and south to Mexico. Sometimes occurs as far north as extreme south Canada. Lives in open woodlands, forests and gardens with lots of pipevines.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not listed
Status : The species has a huge range and remains quite common. However no census and population estimates have been done so far.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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