Papilio glaucus

Eastern tiger swallowtail
Male
Female

Secure (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Genus: Papilio
Species:
P. glaucus
Binomial name
Papilio glaucus
Synonyms
  • Pterourus glaucus
  • Papilio turnus Linnaeus[2]

Papilio glaucus, the eastern tiger swallowtail, is a species of butterfly native to eastern North America. It is one of the most familiar butterflies in the eastern United States,[3] ranging north to southern Ontario, Canada,[4] and is common in many different habitats. It flies from spring until fall, during which it produces two to three broods. Adults feed on the nectar of many species of flowers, mostly from those of the families Apocynaceae, Asteraceae, and Fabaceae. P. glaucus has a wingspan measuring 7.9 to 14 cm (3.1 to 5.5 in). The male is yellow with four black "tiger stripes" on each forewing. Females may be either yellow or black, making them dimorphic. 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 thorax. The caterpillar will turn brown prior to pupating. It will reach a length of 5.5 centimetres (2.2 in). The chrysalis varies from a whitish color to dark brown. Hibernation occurs in this stage in locations with cold winter months.

The eastern tiger swallowtail is the state butterfly of Alabama (as well as state mascot),[5] Delaware, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina,[6] and is the state insect of Virginia.[7]

  1. ^ "Pterourus glaucus Eastern Tiger Swallowtail". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Feb 5, 2021. Retrieved Feb 12, 2021.
  2. ^ "Papilio glaucus (Eastern Tiger Swallowtail)". zipcodezoo.com. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  3. ^ Cech, Rick; Tudor, Guy (2005). Butterflies of the East Coast. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-691-09055-9.
  4. ^ Cavasin, Rick (2022). "Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)". Butterflies of Ontario. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  5. ^ "Alabama Official Mascot and Butterfly: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail", Official Symbols and Emblems of Alabama, Alabama Department of Archives and History, retrieved 2019-05-07
  6. ^ "Official State Butterflies Archived 2011-03-03 at the Wayback Machine." Netstate. NSTATE LLC. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  7. ^ "Official State Insects". Netstate. NSTATE, LLC. 18 March 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2010.