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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 caterpillars of Papilio species are usually smooth and vary in color from green to yellow orange. In addition, they have black markings to mimic the appearance of bird droppings or the head of another bug with large "eyes". [9] The eyespot consists of areas of yellow ringed with black with a smaller, light purple spot (also ringed in black ...
The wings are yellow with black stripes and blue and orange spots near their tail, their have the "tails" on the hindwings that are often found in swallowtails. Young caterpillars resemble bird droppings, and as they molt, they eventually turn bright green, with a pair of large yellow eyespots with black and blue pupils.
The wings are black with a horizontal yellow line across the forewings, and a diagonal yellow line across the hindwing. The underside of the wings is yellow with accents of black. A small patch of red on the ventral wing (within the small blue band) allows for distinction from the similar-looking Schaus' swallowtail. [4] Seitz -"P. cresphontes Cr.
The caterpillar is smooth and purple black. Series of white spots on dorsal, lateral, and sublateral areas. Purplish lateral blotches on thoracic somites. Head and legs are reddish. Early instars are more reddish brown. Body colour turns darker as the caterpillar reaches later instars. Eggs are small spherical and yellow. [5]
Caterpillars are plump green with a single yellow band behind the thorax. They have two eye-shaped spots on the upper thorax, which may help frighten predators. Like most swallowtails, they have a red wishbone-shaped organ called the osmeterium , which pops out from behind the head and releases a foul odour to warn off predators.
The larvae are black with orange spots arranged in lines down the whole body. Their head's prothoracic shield, and the anal plate, are one color, either green or orange with small black dots. [3] A tail-like spine protruding from the back of the body is a typical for sphingid moth caterpillars, known as “hornworms”. [2]
The yellow morph is similar to the male, but with a conspicuous band of blue spots along the hindwing, while the dark morph is almost completely black. The green eggs are laid singly on plants of the families Magnoliaceae and Rosaceae. Young caterpillars are brown and white; older ones are green with two black, yellow, and blue eyespots on the ...