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Adult spicebush swallowtails practice another type of mimicry, as they resemble the pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor), a foul-tasting butterfly. [10] Each of the sexes are able to exhibit mimicry of B. philenor successfully, even though the brighter-blue color on female wings is a little more vibrant than the pipevine swallowtail's ...
Battus philenor, the pipevine swallowtail or blue swallowtail, [3] [4] is a swallowtail butterfly found in North America and Central America. This butterfly is black with iridescent-blue hindwings. They are found in many different habitats, but are most commonly found in forests. [5]
Battus is a New World genus of butterflies that are usually found around pipevine (genus Aristolochia) plants.The caterpillars feed off the poisonous pipevines, making the insects poisonous themselves; they taste very bad to ward off predators. [1]
Similar species for the dark P. glaucus female include the pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor), the spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus), and the female black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes). B. philenor differs from the dark morph P. glaucus by the row of light-colored spots on each wing margin.
Without the pigmentation, the butterfly appears mostly black (the melanic form) and is a Batesian mimic of Battus philenor, the pipevine swallowtail. There are also Papilio glaucus that are not wholly black; several possess an intermediate "sooty" color and are sensitive to temperature. [22]
Spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus) Papilio palamedes Drury, [1773] – Palamedes swallowtail or laurel swallowtail; Papilio troilus Linnaeus, 1758 – spicebush swallowtail; species group: glaucus Canadian tiger swallowtail (Papilio canadensis), Canada Two-tailed swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata), Mexico
Male spicebush swallowtail nectaring on a thistle. Spicebush is a favorite food plant of two lepidopterous insects: the spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus) and the promethea silkmoth (Callosamia promethea). [15] It also supports the caterpillars of the cynthia moth, eastern tiger swallowtail, imperial moth, and the tulip tree beauty. [16]
Black swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes, chrysalis Swallowtails are the largest butterflies.They range in size from 2.5–6.4 inches (6.5–16.5 cm). There are about 600 species worldwide with about 31 species in North America.