Swallowtail butterfly

Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies which form the family Papilionidae. There are at least 550 species, and though the majority are tropical, members of the family are found on all continents except Antarctica. The family includes the largest butterflies in the world, the birdwing butterflies of Australia (genus Ornithoptera).

Swallowtail butterfly
Western Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio rutulus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Suborder:	Ditrysia
Superfamily:	Papilionoidea
Family:	Papilionidae Latreille, 1802
Type species
Papilio machaon (Old World Swallowtail)
Subfamilies and genera
There are 26 genera and about 605 species: Subfamily Baroniinae Baronia Subfamily Parnassiinae Allancastria Archon Bhutanitis Hypermnestra Luehdorfia Parnassius Sericinus Subfamily Papilioninae Atrophaneura Battus Byasa Chilasa Cressida Euryades Eurytides Graphium Iphiclides Lamproptera Losaria Meandrusa Mimoides Ornithoptera Pachliopta Papilio Parides Pharmacophagus Protesilaus Protographium Teinopalpus Trogonoptera Troides

Swallowtail Butterfly Media

• (Eastern) Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) Butterfly perched in low grass and weeds.

• A European paper wasp interacts with a anise swallowtail caterpillar which uses its osmeterium in defense. Most scenes are repeated in closeup at one-fourth speed.

• A spotted towhee finds a anise swallowtail caterpillar to return to its nest and feed to its young.

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  Scarce swallowtail, lavender, near Adriatic