Papilio appalachiensis
| Papilio appalachiensis | |
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| Male holotype | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Papilionidae |
| Genus: | Papilio |
| Species: | P. appalachiensis |
| Binomial name | |
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Papilio appalachiensis (Pavulaan & D. Wright, 2002) |
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Papilio appalachiensis, the Appalachian tiger swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly found in the eastern United States, particularly in the Appalachian Mountains. It is a hybrid of another two Papilio species, Papilio canadensis and Papilio glaucus, with which it shares many characteristics. The butterflies are normally yellow and contain black patterns in their wings. Their wingspans range from 86 to 115 mm. The caterpillars range in color from green and yellow to orange and are ornamented with black specks that give them the appearance of a bird dropping, which is useful for camouflage, or a large eye, a form of mimicry that is also efficient for protection. This species is univoltine. Females lay their eggs in May.
Papilio appalachiensis is a member of the Lepidoptera order and Papilio genus.P. appalachiensis is considered to be a hybrid of two other members of the Papilio genus: Papilio canadensis and Papilio glaucus.
The butterfly is found in the eastern United States, specifically in the Appalachian Mountains, ranging from Pennsylvania to Georgia. It is notably larger than both the eastern tiger swallowtail and the Canadian tiger swallowtail.
P. appalachiensis is thought to have evolved as a hybrid species of two other Papilio butterflies: P. canadensis and P. glaucus. Originally, researchers believed that P. canadensis and P. glaucus were distributed in distinct regions separated by a hybrid zone stretching east from Minnesota to southern New England and south along the Appalachian Mountains. In 2005, researchers suggested these two species interacted at some point and produced the new hybrid P. appalachiensis in the hybrid zone.
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