- Papilio xuthus
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Asian swallowtail
Chinese yellow swallowtail
Xuthus swallowtail
Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera Family: Papilionidae Genus: Papilio Species: P. xuthus Binomial name Papilio xuthus
Linnaeus, 1767Papilio xuthus, also known as the Asian Swallowtail, Chinese Yellow Swallowtail, or as the Xuthus swallowtail, is a middle to large sized swallowtail butterfly found in northeast Asia, Korea, Japan, and Hawaii.
Contents
Description
A mid-sized, yellow, prominently tailed butterfly. It has a wingspan of 45 to 55 mm.
Range
Northern Myanmar, southern China, Japan(from Hokkaidō to Yaeyama Islands), Taiwan, Guam, Ogasawarashoto, Korean Peninsula, maritime province of Siberia, and the Hawaiian Islands.[1]
Similar species
- Old World Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) has similar shape and coloring, however, caterpillar has very different coloring.
Status
Common and not threatened.[1]
Habitat
Papilio xuthus is common in urban, suburban, woods, and orange orchards.
Life cycle
The caterpillar of P. xuthus is very similar to the caterpillar of the Spangle Papilio protenor, however, the color of the osmeterium of P. xuthus is orange yellow, and the color of the osmeterium of P. protenor is ruby red.
The pupa is usually green or brown depending on the roughness of the perch. Pupation takes place after the larval duration of 2 weeks.
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Caterpillar
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Pupa
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On Lycoris
Food plants
The larvae of the species feed on plants of Family Rutaceae. Recorded species of foodplants include:
- Phellodendron amurensis[2]
- Poncirus trifoliata[2]
- Zanthoxylum spp, such as the Japanese pepper tree Zanthoxylum piperitum, Zanthoxylum nitidum[2] and the Japanese Prickly-ash Zanthoxylum ailanthoides[2]
- Cultivated Citrus species[2] such as the Mandarin orange and the Yuzu
- Euodia ruaecarpa[2]
References
- ^ a b Collins, N. Mark; Collins, Michael G. (1985). Threatened Swallowtails of the World:the IUCN red data book. IUCN Protected Area Programme Series. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, U.K.: IUCN. p. 95. ISBN 9782880326036. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=RomV7uO_t9YC. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f Savela, Marrku (16 Feb 2008). "Papilio". Lepidoptera and some other life forms. nic.funet.fi. http://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/papilionidae/papilioninae/papilio/index.html#xuthus. Retrieved 09 November 2010.
See also
- Papilionidae
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