Giant swallowtail
| Giant swallowtail | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Papilionidae |
| Genus: | Papilio |
| Species: | P. cresphontes |
| Binomial name | |
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Papilio cresphontes Cramer, [1777] |
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| Synonyms | |
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Heraclides oxilus Hübner, [1819] |
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Heraclides oxilus Hübner, [1819]
Papilio cresphontes, the giant swallowtail or in its larval phase the orange dog or orange puppy, is a swallowtail butterfly common in parts of North America and marginally into South America. In the United States and Canada it is mainly found in the south and east. With a wingspan of about 10–16 cm (3.9–6.3 in), it is the largest butterfly in Canada and the United States.
An adult's wingspan is about 100–160 mm (3.9–6.3 in). The body and wings are dark brown to black with yellow bands. There is a yellow eyespot in each wing's tail. The abdomen has bands of yellow along with the previously mentioned brown. Adults are quite similar to the adults of another Papilio species, P. thoas.
The mature caterpillar resembles bird droppings to deter predators, and if that doesn't work they use their orange osmeteria. These are "horns" which they can display and then retract. The coloration is dingy brown and or olive with white patches and small patches of purple. Citrus fruit farmers often call the caterpillars orange dogs or orange puppies because of the devastation they can cause to their crops.
In the United States, P. cresphontes is mostly seen in deciduous forest and citrus orchards where they are considered a major pest. They fly between May and August where there are two broods in the north and three in the south. They can range from southern California (where they have been seen from March to December, reaching peak abundance in late summer/early fall), Arizona as deep south as Mexico north into southeastern Canada. Outside the United States and Canada they are found in Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Jamaica and Cuba.
Adult females lay their eggs singly on the surface of the host plant, this egg is bright orange and darkens with time. The caterpillars then eat and grow to about 2 in (5.1 cm) before changing into a chrysalis. The chrysalis stage is variable but usually takes approximately 10–12 days, although in the fall they may stay in the chrysalis stage over winter and emerge in the spring.
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Wikipedia