Papilio genus in the swallowtail butterfly family , Papilionidae, as well as the only representative of the tribe Papilionini . The word papilio is Latin for butterfly.
The genus includes a number of well-known North American species such as the western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus ). Familiar species in Asia include the Mormons (Papilio polytes , Papilio polymnestor , Papilio memnon , and Papilio deiphobus ), the orchard and Ulysses swallowtails in Australia (Papilio aegeus , Papilio ulysses , respectively) and the citrus swallowtail of Africa (Papilio demodocus ).
Older classifications of the swallowtails tended to use a large number of rather small genera. More recent classifications have been more conservative, and as a result a number of former genera are now absorbed within Papilio . The genus as recognized by modern systems has about 200 members. The genus Chilasa is regarded as a subgenus of Papilio by some workers, as are the baggy-tailed swallowtails (Agehana ), although the latter taxon is usually considered a subgenus of Chilasa .
Many of the larvae resemble bird droppings during a development stage. Adults are edible to birds and some species are mimics.
Now included in the genus Papilio , are the former genera: Achillides Eleppone , Druryia Heraclides (giant swallowtails), Menelaides , Princeps , Pterourus (tiger swallowtails), and Sinoprinceps .
In their laval form, members of Papilio typically feed upon plants of Rutaceae including common ornamental and agriculturally important species such as Citrus Murraya Choisya Calodendrum terpenoids from their diet to produce a foul smelling oil used in defence.
Listed alphabetically within groups.subgenus : Papilio Linnaeus , 1758
species group :
machaon Papilio alexanor Esper, 1800 – southern swallowtailPapilio brevicauda Saunders, 1869 – short-tailed swallowtailPapilio hospiton Géné, 1839 – Corsican swallowtailPapilio indra Reakirt, 1866 – Indra swallowtail, short-tailed black swallowtail, or cliff swallowtailPapilio joanae J. Heitzman, 1973 – Ozark swallowtailPapilio machaon Linnaeus, 1758 – Old World swallowtail, common yellow swallowtail, or artemisia swallowtailPapilio polyxenes Fabricius, 1775 – black swallowtail, eastern black swallowtail, or American swallowtailPapilio saharae Oberthür, 1879 – Sahara swallowtailPapilio zelicaon Lucas, 1852 – anise swallowtail or western swallowtail
subgenus : Princeps Hübner, [1807]
species group :
antimachus Papilio antimachus Drury, 1782 – Antimachus swallowtail or giant African swallowtailspecies group :
zalmoxis Papilio zalmoxis Hewitson, 1864 – giant blue swallowtailspecies group :
nireus Papilio aristophontes Oberthür, 1897 Papilio charopus Westwood, 1843 – tailed green-banded swallowtailPapilio chrapkowskii Suffert, 1904 – broad green-banded swallowtail or Chrapkowski's green-banded swallowtailPapilio chrapkowskoides Storace, 1952 – broadly green-banded swallowtailPapilio desmondi van Someren, 1939 – Desmond's green-banded swallowtailPapilio hornimani Distant, 1879 – Horniman's green-banded swallowtail or Horniman's swallowtailPapilio interjectana Vane-Wright, 1995 – Van Someren's green-banded swallowtailPapilio nireus Linnaeus, 1758 – green-banded swallowtail, narrow-banded green swallowtail, or African blue-banded swallowtailPapilio sosia Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 – medium green-banded swallowtailPapilio thuraui Karsch, 1900 Papilio ufipa Carcasson, 1961 Papilio wilsoni Rothschild, 1926 species group :
cynorta Papilio arnoldiana Vane-Wright, 1995 Papilio cynorta Fabricius, 1793 – mimetic swallowtailPapilio plagiatus Aurivillius, 1898 – mountain mimetic swallowtailspecies group :
dardanus Papilio constantinus Ward, 1871 – Constantine's swallowtailPapilio dardanus Brown, 1776 – mocker swallowtail, flying handkerchief, or African swallowtailPapilio delalandei Godart, [1824] Papilio phorcas Cramer, [1775] – apple-green swallowtail or green banded swallowtailPapilio rex Oberthür, 1886 – regal swallowtailspecies group :
zenobia Papilio cyproeofila Butler, 1868 – common white-banded swallowtailPapilio fernandus Fruhstorfer, 1903 Papilio filaprae Suffert, 1904 Papilio gallienus Distant, 1879 – narrow-banded swallowtailPapilio mechowi Dewitz, 1881 Papilio mechowianus Dewitz, 1885 Papilio nobicea Suffert, 1904 – Volta swallowtailPapilio zenobia Fabricius, 1775 – Zenobia swallowtailspecies group :
demodocus Papilio demodocus Esper, 1799 – citrus swallowtail, citrus butterfly, orange dog, or Christmas butterflyPapilio demoleus Linnaeus, 1758 – (common) lime swallowtail or lime butterflyPapilio erithonioides Grose-Smith, 1891 Papilio grosesmithi Rothschild, 1926 Papilio morondavana Grose-Smith, 1891 – Madagascan emperorspecies group :
echerioides Papilio echerioides Trimen, 1868 – white-banded swallowtailPapilio fuelleborni Karsch, 1900 Papilio jacksoni Sharpe, 1891 – Jackson's swallowtailPapilio sjoestedti Aurivillius, 1908 – Kilimanjaro swallowtailspecies group :
oribazus Papilio epiphorbas Boisduval, 1833 Papilio nobilis Rogenhofer, 1891 – noble swallowtailPapilio oribazus Boisduval, 1836 species group :
hesperus Papilio euphranor Trimen, 1868 – forest swallowtail or bush kitePapilio hesperus Westwood, 1843 – emperor swallowtailPapilio horribilis Butler, 1874 Papilio pelodurus Butler, 1896 species group :
menestheus Papilio lormieri Distant, 1874 – central emperor swallowtailPapilio menestheus Drury, 1773 – western emperor swallowtailPapilio ophidicephalus Oberthür, 1878 – emperor swallowtailspecies group :
incertae sedis Papilio andronicus Ward, 1871 Papilio chitondensis Bivar de Sousa & Fernandes, 1966 Papilio leucotaenia Rothschild, 1908 – cream-banded swallowtailPapilio luzviae Schröder & Treadaway, 1991 Papilio mackinnoni Sharpe, 1891 – MacKinnon's swallowtailPapilio mangoura Hewitson, 1875 – Mangoura swallowtailPapilio manlius Fabricius, 1798 Papilio microps Storace, 1951 Papilio nobicea Berger, 1974 Papilio phorbanta Linnaeus, 1771 – papillon la paturespecies group :
demolion Papilio demolion Cramer, [1776] – banded swallowtailPapilio euchenor Guérin-Méneville, 1829 Papilio gigon C. & R. Felder, 1864 Papilio liomedon Moore, [1875] – Malabar banded swallowtailspecies group :
anactus Papilio anactus MacLeay, [1826] – dingy swallowtailspecies group :
aegeus Papilio aegeus Donovan, 1805 – orchard swallowtailPapilio bridgei Mathew, 1886 Papilio erskinei Mathew, 1886 Papilio gambrisius Cramer, [1777] Papilio inopinatus Butler, 1883 Papilio ptolychus Godman & Salvin, 1888 Papilio tydeus C. & R. Felder, 1860 Papilio weymeri Niepelt, 1914 Papilio woodfordi Godman & Salvin, 1888 – Woodford's swallowtailspecies group :
godeffroyi Papilio amynthor Boisduval, 1859 – Norfolk swallowtailPapilio godeffroyi Semper, 1866 – Godeffroy's swallowtailPapilio schmeltzi Herrich-Schäffer, 1869 species group :
polytes Papilio ambrax Boisduval, 1832 – Ambrax butterflyPapilio phestus Guérin-Méneville, 1830 Papilio polytes Linnaeus, 1758 – common Mormonspecies group :
castor Papilio castor Westwood, 1842 – common ravenPapilio dravidarum Wood-Mason, 1880 – Malabar ravenPapilio mahadeva Moore, [1879] – Burmese ravenspecies group :
fuscus Papilio albinus Wallace, 1865 Papilio antonio Hewitson, [1875] Papilio diophantus Grose-Smith, 1883 Papilio fuscus Goeze, 1779 – Canopus butterflyPapilio hipponous C. & R. Felder, 1862 Papilio jordani Fruhstorfer, 1906 – Jordan's swallowtailPapilio noblei de Nicéville, [1889] Papilio pitmani Elwes & de Nicéville, [1887] Papilio prexaspes C. & R. Felder, 1865 – Andaman HelenPapilio sakontala Hewitson, 1864 species group :
helenus Papilio helenus Linnaeus, 1758 – red HelenPapilio iswara White, 1842 – great HelenPapilio iswaroides Fruhstorfer, 1898 Papilio nephelus Boisduval, 1836 – yellow HelenPapilio nubilus Staudinger, 1895 Papilio sataspes C. & R. Felder, 1865 species group :
memnon Papilio acheron Grose-Smith, 1887 – Acheron swallowtailPapilio ascalaphus Boisduval, 1836 – Ascalaphus swallowtailPapilio deiphobus Linnaeus, 1758 Papilio forbesi Grose-Smith, 1883 Papilio lampsacus Boisduval, 1836 Papilio lowi Druce, 1873 – Asian swallowtail or great yellow MormonPapilio mayo Atkinson, 1873 – Andaman MormonPapilio memnon Linnaeus, 1758 – great MormonPapilio oenomaus Godart, 1819 Papilio polymnestor Cramer, [1775] – blue MormonPapilio rumanzovia Eschscholtz, 1821 – scarlet Mormon or red Mormonspecies group :
protenor Papilio alcmenor C. & R. Felder, [1864] – redbreastPapilio macilentus Janson, 1877 Papilio protenor – spanglePapilio taiwanus Rothschild, 1898 – Formosan swallowtailspecies group :
bootes Papilio bootes Westwood, 1842 – tailed redbreastPapilio elwesi Leech, 1889 Papilio maraho Shiraki & Sonan, 1934 subgenus : Chilasa Moore, [1881]
species group :
agestor Papilio agestor Gray, 1831 – tawny mimePapilio epycides Hewitson, [1864] – lesser mimePapilio slateri Hewitson, 1853 – blue-striped mimespecies group :
clytia Papilio clytia Linnaeus, 1758 – common mimePapilio paradoxa (Zincken, 1831) – great mimespecies group :
veiovis Papilio veiovis Hewitson, [1865] species group :
laglaizei Papilio laglaizei Depuiset, 1877 Papilio moerneri Aurivillius, 1919 Papilio toboroi Ribbe, 1907 species group : unnamed
Papilio carolinensis Jumalon, 1967 Papilio osmana Jumalon, 1967
subgenus : Achillides Hübner, [1819]
species group :
paris Papilio arcturus Westwood, 1842 – blue peacockPapilio bianor Cramer, [1777] – Chinese peacockPapilio chikae Nuyda, 1992 Papilio dialis Leech, 1893 – southern Chinese peacockPapilio doddsi Janet, 1896 Papilio elephenor Doubleday, 1845 – yellow-crested spanglePapilio hoppo Matsumura, 1908 Papilio karna C. & R. Felder, 1864 Papilio krishna Moore, 1857 – Krishna peacockPapilio longimacula Z.G. Wang & Y. Niu, 2002 Papilio maackii Ménétriés, 1859 Papilio paris Linnaeus, 1758 – Paris peacockPapilio polyctor Boisduval, 1836 – common peacockspecies group :
palinurus Papilio blumei Boisduval, 1836 – peacock or green swallowtailPapilio buddha Westwood, 1872 – Malabar banded peacockPapilio crino Fabricius, 1793 – common banded peacockPapilio palinurus Fabricius, 1787 – emerald swallowtailspecies group : unnamed
Papilio chikae Igarashi, 1965 – Luzon peacock swallowtailPapilio lorquinianus C. & R. Felder, 1865 Papilio neumoegeni Honrath, 1890 Papilio peranthus Fabricius, 1787 Papilio pericles Wallace, 1865 species group :
ulysses Papilio montrouzieri Boisduval, 1859 Papilio syfanius Oberthür, 1886 Papilio ulysses Linnaeus, 1758 – Ulysses, mountain blue, blue emperor, or blue mountain swallowtailsubgenus : Heraclides Hübner, [1819]
species group :
anchisiades Papilio anchisiades Esper, 1788 – ruby-spotted swallowtail or red-spotted swallowtailPapilio chiansiades Westwood, 1872 Papilio epenetus Hewitson, 1861 Papilio erostratus Westwood, 1847 – Erostratus swallowtailPapilio hyppason Cramer, 1775 Papilio isidorus Doubleday, 1846 Papilio oxynius (Geyer, [1827]) Papilio pelaus Fabricius, 1775 Papilio rogeri Boisduval, 1836 species group :
thoas Papilio andraemon (Hübner, [1823]) – Bahaman swallowtailPapilio androgeus Cramer, [1775] – Androgeus swallowtail, queen page, or queen swallowtailPapilio aristodemus Esper, 1794 – Schaus' swallowtail or island swallowtailPapilio aristor Godart, 1819 – scarce Haitian swallowtailPapilio astyalus Godart, 1819 – broad-banded swallowtail or Astyalus swallowtailPapilio caiguanabus Poey, [1852] – Poey's black swallowtailPapilio cresphontes Cramer, [1777] – giant swallowtailPapilio homothoas Rothschild & Jordan, 1906 Papilio machaonides Esper, 1796 Papilio melonius Rothschild & Jordan, 1906 Papilio ornythion Boisduval, 1836 – Ornythion swallowtailPapilio paeon Boisduval, 1836 Papilio rumiko (Shiraiwa & Grishin, 2014) Papilio thersites Fabricius, 1775 – Thersites swallowtail or false Androgeus swallowtailPapilio thoas Linnaeus, 1771 – Thoas swallowtail or king swallowtailspecies group :
torquatus Papilio garleppi Staudinger, 1892 – Garlepp's swallowtailPapilio hectorides Esper, 1794 Papilio himeros Hopffer, 1865 – Himeros swallowtailPapilio lamarchei Staudinger, 1892 Papilio torquatus Cramer, 1777 – Torquatus swallowtailspecies group : unnamed
Papilio okinawensis Fruhstorfer, 1898 subgenus : Pterourus Scopoli, 1777
species group :
troilus Papilio palamedes Drury, [1773] – Palamedes swallowtail or laurel swallowtailPapilio troilus Linnaeus, 1758 – spicebush swallowtailspecies group :
glaucus Papilio alexiares Höpffer, 1866 – Mexican tiger swallowtailPapilio appalachiensis (Pavulaan & Wright, 2002) – Appalachian tiger swallowtailPapilio canadensis Rothschild & Jordan, 1906 – Canadian tiger swallowtailPapilio esperanza Beutelspacher, 1975 – Esperanza swallowtailPapilio eurymedon Lucas, 1852 – pale swallowtail or pallid tiger swallowtailPapilio glaucus Linnaeus, 1758 – eastern tiger swallowtailPapilio multicaudata Kirby, 1884 – two-tailed swallowtailPapilio pilumnus Boisduval, 1836 – three-tailed tiger swallowtailPapilio rutulus Lucas, 1852 – western tiger swallowtailspecies group :
zagreus Papilio bachus ) C. & R. Felder, 1865 Papilio neyi Niepelt, 1909 Papilio zagreus Doubleday, 1847 species group :
scamander Papilio birchallii Hewitson, 1863 Papilio hellanichus Hewitson, 1868 Papilio scamander Boisduval, 1836 Papilio xanthopleura Godman & Salvin, 1868 species group :
homerus Papilio cacicus Lucas, 1852 Papilio euterpinus Salvin & Godman, 1868 Papilio garamas (Geyer, [1829]) Papilio homerus Fabricius, 1793 – Homerus swallowtailPapilio menatius (Hübner, [1819]) Papilio warscewiczii Hopffer, 1865 subgenus : Sinoprinceps Hancock, 1983
species group :
xuthus Hancock, 1983 Papilio xuthus Linnaeus, 1767 – Asian, Xuthus, or Chinese yellow swallowtail
