![]() ![]() Life history Eggs įemales lay eggs on the tops of the leaves of one of their preferred host plants. Along with flower nectar, adults can also consume liquid from animal waste. Nectar plants for adults include Lantana, Azaleas, Bougainvilla, Saponaria officinalis, Hesperis matronalis, Solidago, Lonicera japonica, and Asclepias incarnata. However, this feeding specialization hypothesis has not been tested in the species as a whole beyond these three regions. The local host caused the larva to develop faster than other plants that were also edible to the larva. In specific local subpopulations (studied in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Florida), it was found that giant swallowtail caterpillars do better on their local host plant than on other giant swallowtail host plants. They also consume some exotic Rutaceae species that have been introduced to North America, such as gasplant and sapote. Food resources Caterpillars Īs well as eating valuable citrus crops, larvae eat a wide variety of plants in the family Rutaceae (citrus plants), including different types of prickly ash. A small patch of red on the ventral wing (within the small blue band) allows for distinction from the similar-looking Schaus' swallowtail. The underside of the wings is yellow with accents of black. The wings are black with a horizontal yellow line across the forewings, and a diagonal yellow line across the hindwing. Females have an average wingspan of 5.5 in (14 cm), and up to 6.9 in (18 cm), while males' average is 5.8 in (15 cm), and up to 7.4 in (19 cm). One of the giant swallowtail's most notable features is its size. They are only capable of overwintering in Florida and the deep South. ![]() cresphontes mostly inhabit deciduous forest and citrus orchards. The species was historically considered to occur in the western United States and into South America, but now those populations are treated as a separate species, Papilio rumiko, based largely on DNA evidence. South of the United States, it is found in parts of Mexico and also found in Jamaica and Cuba. The giant swallowtail is common across the United States, reaching as far north as southern New England and southern Canada. They use this, along with their osmeteria, to defend against predators such as wasps, flies, and vertebrates. The giant swallowtail caterpillars possess remarkable camouflage from predators by closely resembling bird droppings. Though it is often valued in gardens for its striking appearance, its larval stage can be a serious pest to citrus farms, which has earned its caterpillars the names orange dog or orange puppy. It is abundant through many parts of eastern North America populations from western North America and down into Panama are now (as of 2014) considered to belong to a different species, Papilio rumiko. The giant swallowtail ( Papilio cresphontes) is the largest butterfly in North America. ![]()
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