PAPILIONINAE Swallowtails FAUNA PARAGUAY

PAPILIONIDAE - SWALLOWTAILS
Swallowtails are amongst the largest, most colourful and instantly recognisable of Neotropical butterflies and consist of a group of over 570 species worldwide. Larvae feed on citrus trees and, as a result of the wide availability of host plants, many species are often abundant, even in urban areas. Many species are sexually dimorphic - the male is distinguishable from the female. Swallowtail caterpillars are easy to recognise. They possess an organ known as an osmeterium on or behind the head, and when molested it can be extended - in many cases appearing sufficiently like the tongue of a snake to put off dimmer predators. As a secondary defence many species can also emit a foul-smelling liquid. (Scoble 1995, Turner D & Stanêk VJ 1992).
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Characteristics
Large to very large, frequently brightly-coloured and with the hidnwings often "tailed", Swallowtails are amongst the most popular butterfly groups with enthusiasts. The group is defined by an extensible, forked osmetrium on the larval prothorax whilst in the adult the arolium and pulvilli of the pretarsus are reduced. Vein 2A of the forewing does not fuse with 1A as it does in most Lepidopterans, but continues on to the wing margin. Ostiae are present in the mesothoracic aorta, but it lacks a horizontal chamber. Uniquely amongst butterflies the laterocervicalia are fused ventromedially. Adults have the labial palpi upturned and minute maxillary palpi. An epiphysis is present and the foreleg is not reduced. Tibial spurs have the formula 0-2-2 or 0-0-2. R4 and R5 are stalked in the forewing and two anal veins, united at the base of the wing, later diverge. On the hindwing there is a humeral vein and one anal vein. Adults are diurnal and most feed whilst hovering or by posing and fluttering the wings. Many species are sexually dimoprhic. (Smart 1975; Scoble 1995).

Life Cycles
Swallowtails lay spherical eggs without notable markings. Generally they are deposited singly or in small clusters on the host plant, though occasionally nearby. Larvae are characterised by the presence of an osmeterium - an extensile structure which, in additiion to the swollen thorax, is thought to give the impression of a snake. As a secondary defence it often emits a pungent odour, typically composed of isobutyric acid and 2-methyl butyric acid. Larvae are usually smooth, but numerous secondary setae occur on the body. Ventral prolegs are arranged in mesoseries and crochets are triordinal. Various filaments, horns and protuberances are present on the body of some species. Many species bear aposematic colouration and are distasteful. Pupae are angular with two projecting points at the head end and are generally exposed with a silken thoracic girdle and cremaster. (Smart 1975; Scoble 1995).

Downloadable Book
Click the link below to download an atlas and illustrated guide to the Pierids and Papilionids of Ñeembucú Department by Andres Contreras
Contreras 2009 - Lista Preliminar y Atlas Biogeografico de Especies y Subespecies de la Familia Pieridae y Papilionidae (Lepidoptera) Presentes en el Departamento de Ñeembucú, República del Paraguay: Incluye Notas Bioecológicas y Distribucionales - IBIS, Fundación de Azara, Universidad de Pilar. 4.47mb 74pages

Classification
We currently have images of 17 species in this family. Figures in brackets after the tribal names refer to the number of species for which we currently have images.

Superfamily Papilionoidea: Family Papilionidae: Subfamily Papilioninae
All the Paraguayan Swallowtails belong to the subfamily Papilioninae, a grouping which reaches its greatest diversity in the Old World tropics. The monophyly of the subfamily is based on the presence of a peduncus on tergum A8 of males, the "anal brush" - a patch of hair-like scales along Vein 2A on the underside of the hindwing, a basal spur on the forewing, a distinct meral suture with an internal lamella on the metathorax and the presence of a white saddle on the abdominal segments of larvae (secondarily lost in some species). The Papilioninae can be split into three distinct tribes based on Canals (2003).

Tribe Graphiini (4) Kite Swallowtails
Genera represented by photos include Mimoides, Protesilaus and Protographium. Wings narrow and pointed, giving the impression of a kite.

Tribe Papilionini (6) True Swallowtails
Genera represented by photos include Heraclides and Pterourus.

Tribe Troidini (7) Poison-eaters
Genera represented by photos include Battus, Euryades and Parides. Larvae feed on toxic plants.

References:
Canals GR 2000 - Mariposas Bonaerenses - LOLA, Buenos Aires.
Canals GR 2003 - Mariposas de Misiones - LOLA, Buenos Aires.
Scoble MJ 1995 - The Lepidoptera: Form, Function and Diversity - Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Smart P 1975 - The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Butterfly World - Salamander Books, London
Turner D, Stanêk VJ 1992 - The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Butterflies and Moths - Select Editions, London.