The Butterflies of the World Foundation

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Giant Swallowtail

Papilio cresphontes Cramer, 1777

Tribe Papilionini, Fluted Swallowtails

Taxonomy

There are about 600 species within the family Papilionidae.  The family is made up of 3 subfamilies, the Parnassiinae, which has about 50 species of Parnassians and Apollos that are found mostly in the montane regions of the nothern hemisphere, the Baroniinae, which has only 1 species, Baronia brevicomis from western Mexico, and the Papilioninae, which has about 550 species found worldwide.  The subfamily Papilioninae is further divided into 4 tribes, the Teinopalpini, which include 2 species from the Himalayas, the Troidini, which has about 130 worldwide species including the birdwings, the Leptocircini, which has about 140 species and includes kite Swallowtails, and the Papilionini, which has over 200 worldwide species and includes the fluted swallowtails in which Papilio palamedes belongs to.

Papilio cresphontes, Little River National Wildlife Refuge, McCurtain County, Oklahoma, 28 June 2010                                                                                   Ref #:  I-448-7.3

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General Information:

Papilio cresphontes has one of the largest wingspans of any U.S. butterfly.  It is found through out most of the eastern half of the United States.  It is commonly found in and around woodlands and it avidly collects nectar from many flowers including those in gardens.  Males can also be found in numbers imbibing minerals from the edges of lakes, rivers, and puddles on gravel roads.

Lifecycle:

Larval hostplants include plants in the citrus family and the caterpillars are considered a pest by some in areas with citrus groves.  Caterpillars feed from a silk shelter.  Larvae have eversible organs called osmeteria that are used to chemically deter predators.

Papilio cresphontes, two males courting female, Estero Llano Grande State Park, Weslaco, Hidalgo County, Texas, 27 October 2010                                           Ref #:  I-469-15

Papilio cresphontes, two males courting female, Estero Llano Grande State Park, Weslaco, Hidalgo County, Texas, 27 October 2010                                           Ref #:  I-469-14