Pipevine Swallowtail Battus Philenor

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Pipevine Swallowtail Battus Philenor pipevine swallowtail Battus philenor Kingdom: Animalia Division/Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera Family: Papilionidae LINOIS STATUS common, native FEATURES The pipevine swallowtail has a wingspan of two and three-fourths to five and one-eighth inches. Its wings and body are black. The hindwings are iridescent green-blue on the upper side and have a projection from the back edge. Each hindwing has a row of seven orange spots that can be seen on the underside. The larva is brown or black with fleshy projections, two rows of which on the back are orange or red. BEHAVIORS The pipevine swallowtail may be found statewide in Illinois woodlands where pipevine plants are present, although it is not abundant. The larva and adult are bad tasting to birds and can actually cause birds to spit them out after being eaten. This trait helps birds learn to avoid them. Several other butterflies are colored and shaped similar to the pipevine swallowtail, and birds are reluctant to eat them, too, even though they have none of the distasteful chemicals. The pipevine swallowtail reproduces twice each year. The caterpillar has yellow or red structures that can be extended from behind the head when it is threatened. The pupa is protectively colored. This insect overwinters in the pupa stage. The adult feeds on nectar, flapping the wings rapidly as it does so. The larva eats plants, particularly snakeroot and pipevine. HABITATS Aquatic Habitats bottomland forests Woodland Habitats bottomland forests; southern Illinois lowlands; upland deciduous forests Prairie and Edge Habitats none © Illinois Department of Natural Resources. 2017. Biodiversity of Illinois. .
Recommended publications
  • Volume 12 - Number 1 March 2005
    Utah Lepidopterist Bulletin of the Utah Lepidopterists' Society Volume 12 - Number 1 March 2005 Extreme Southwest Utah Could See Iridescent Greenish-blue Flashes A Little Bit More Frequently by Col. Clyde F. Gillette Battus philenor (blue pipevine swallowtail) flies in the southern two- thirds of Arizona; in the Grand Canyon (especially at such places as Phantom Ranch 8/25 and Indian Gardens 12/38) and at its rims [(N) 23/75 and (S) 21/69]; in the low valleys of Clark Co., Nevada; and infrequently along the Meadow Valley Wash 7/23 which parallels the Utah/Nevada border in Lincoln Co., Nevada. Since this beautiful butterfly occasionally flies to the west, southwest, and south of Utah's southwest corner, one might expect it to turn up now and then in Utah's Mojave Desert physiographic subsection of the Basin and Range province on the lower southwest slopes of the Beaver Dam Mountains, Battus philenor Blue Pipevine Swallowtail Photo courtesy of Randy L. Emmitt www.rlephoto.com or sporadically fly up the "Dixie Corridor" along the lower Virgin River Valley. Even though both of these Lower Sonoran life zone areas reasons why philenor is not a habitual pipevine species.) Arizona's of Utah offer potentially suitable, resident of Utah's Dixie. But I think interesting plant is Aristolochia "nearby" living conditions for Bat. there is basically only one, and that is watsonii (indianroot pipevine), which phi. philenor, such movements have a complete lack of its larval has alternate leaves shaped like a not often taken place. Or, more foodplants in the region.
    [Show full text]
  • Butterflies in the Verde Valley
    Butterflies in the Verde Valley 1 2 17 1. Mormon Fritillary, Speyeria mormonia 2. Empress Leilia, Asterocampa leilia 3. Fiery Skipper, Hylephila phyleus 4. Greenish-Blue Lycaenid, Plebejus saepiolus 16 4 18 Female on top, male below 3 5. Pipevine Swallowtail, Battus philenor 6. American Snout Butterfly, Libytheana carinenta 7. Cloudless Sulpher, Phoebis sennae 14 15 Female with patterned wing, male solid 5 8. Two-tailed Swallowtail, Papilio multicaudata 9. Variegated Fritillary, Euptoieta claudia 13 12 10. Hoary Comma, Polygonia gracilis 6 11. California Sister, Adelpha bredowii Eurema nicippe 8 12. Sleepy Orange Sulphur, 11 Two males 10 13. Alfalfa Sulfpur, Colias euretheme Two males, one female (pale) 14. Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui 15. Pine White, Neophasia menapia 9 7 16. Viceroy, Limenitus archippus 17. Queen, Danaus gilippus 18. Black Swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes Butterflies Butterflies are an amazing group of insects, and their delicate structure, flight, and colors, brighten our day. The butterflies in this display represent 6 related families of Lepidoptera (scaled wings) which we know as butterflies. All of these occur in northern Arizona. The best place to look for butterflies is often in moist creek beds and in areas where flowers are blooming. The mouth is composed of two long flexible straws that are connected. When they feed/drink they unroll the mouth parts (called a proboscis) and suck in nectar or other liquids. Although the shapes and colors differs, their basic structure is similar. All have four wings, six legs, an abdomen, thorax, head, and antenna. Butterflies have complete metamorphosis, with four separate stages: (1)egg, (2)larva, (3)chrysalis, and (4)adult.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecological and Evolutionary Consequences of Variation in Aristolochic Acids, a Chemical Resource, for Sequestering Specialist Troidini Butterflies
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 12-2013 Ecological and evolutionary consequences of variation in aristolochic acids, a chemical resource, for sequestering specialist Troidini butterflies Romina Daniela Dimarco University of Tennessee - Knoxville, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Recommended Citation Dimarco, Romina Daniela, "Ecological and evolutionary consequences of variation in aristolochic acids, a chemical resource, for sequestering specialist Troidini butterflies. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2013. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/2567 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Romina Daniela Dimarco entitled "Ecological and evolutionary consequences of variation in aristolochic acids, a chemical resource, for sequestering specialist Troidini butterflies." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. James
    [Show full text]
  • Pipevine Swallowtail Battus Philenor
    pipevine swallowtail Battus philenor Kingdom: Animalia FEATURES Phylum: Arthropoda The pipevine swallowtail has a wingspan of two and Class: Insecta three-fourths to five and one-eighth inches. Its wings Order: Lepidoptera and body are black. The hindwings are iridescent green-blue on the upper side and have a projection Family: Papilionidae from the back edge. Each hindwing has a row of ILLINOIS STATUS seven orange spots that can be seen on the underside. The larva is brown or black with fleshy common, native projections, two rows of which on the back are © Chris Young, State Journal-Register orange or red. BEHAVIORS The pipevine swallowtail may be found statewide in Illinois woodlands where pipevine plants are present, although it is not abundant. The larva and adult are bad tasting to birds and can actually cause birds to spit them out after being eaten. This trait helps birds learn to avoid them. Several other butterflies are colored and shaped similar to the pipevine swallowtail, and birds are reluctant to eat them, too, even though they have none of the distasteful chemicals. The pipevine swallowtail reproduces twice each year. The caterpillar has yellow or red structures that can be extended from behind the head when it is threatened. The pupa is protectively colored. This female depositing eggs insect overwinters in the pupa stage. The adult feeds on nectar, flapping the wings rapidly as it does so. The ILLINOIS RANGE larva eats plants, particularly snakeroot and pipevine. © Illinois Department of Natural Resources. 2020. Biodiversity of Illinois. Unless otherwise noted, photos and images © Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
    [Show full text]
  • Host Plant Selection by Battus Philenor Butterflies: Evidence for Individual Differences in Foraging Behaviour
    Anim. Behav., 1983, 31, 341-347 HOST PLANT SELECTION BY BATTUS PHILENOR BUTTERFLIES: EVIDENCE FOR INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN FORAGING BEHAVIOUR BY MARK D. RAUSHER & DANIEL R. PAPAJ Department of Zoology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27706 Abstract. A previous study reported that individual females of the pipevine swallowtail butterfly, Battus philenor, exhibit different search modes when searching for host plants on which to oviposit. However, an alternative explanation for the results of that study exists: apparent differences in searching behaviour may simply represent differences in the composition of the vegetation over which females fly. The results from the present study rule out this alternative explanation and indicate that apparent differences in search mode reflect underlying differences among females in response to leaf shape. Introduction Consequently, the frequency distribution of the A basic tenet of behavioural ecology is that proportion of broad-leaved plants among all animals alter their searching behaviour when non-hosts on which females alight is bimodal. either the relative abundances or qualities of food Rausher (1978) demonstrated that the host plant items change (MacArthur & Pianka 1966; species more often discovered by a female is Pulliam 1974; Charnov 1976; Estabrook & correlated with the search mode exhibited by that Dunham 1976; Hughes 1979). While such altera- female: broad-leaf searchers alight primarily on tion in response to changes in abundance have the broad-leaved A. reticulata, while narrow-leaf been well documented, both in the laboratory searchers alight primarily on the narrow-leaved (Murdoeh 1969a, b; Manly et al. 1972; Werner A. serpentaria. Rausher (1978, 1980) also showed & Hall 1974; Murdoch et al.
    [Show full text]
  • NCWF Pollinator Guide
    North Carolina Wildlife Federation 2020 North Carolina Pollinator Identification Guide North Carolina Wildlife Federation www.ncwf.org 1 North Carolina Wildlife Federation 2020 Table of Contents: Pollinator ID Guide 1. Introduction 2. Bees, Ants, and Wasps a. NC Families of Bees ​ ​ 3. Butterflies and Moths a. Main Families of Butterflies ​ ​ 4. Beetles a. Flower Beetle 5. Flies a. Syrphid Flies 6. Birds a. Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Introduction: The purpose of this pollinator identification guide is to educate wildlife stewards on common pollinators that are endemic to North Carolina. Pollinators are vastly important to the health of our ecosystems and to the production of our food. With growing concern over the loss of viable habitat for our pollinators, NCWF is committed to the education on the importance of pollinator gardens and gardening for wildlife. We hope that this pollinator identification guide will encourage viewers to learn more about the pollinators that can be found in their homes and neighborhoods as well as their important ecological services. This guide also includes a few examples of endangered or threatened pollinator species to help emphasize the need to increase pollinator habitat. Endangered species often rely on specific conditions in an environment in order to survive, but climate change and urban sprawl have reduced viable habitat by shifting average temperatures of an ecosystem, reducing numbers of available host plants, and polluting natural areas. The ability to identify pollinators in our backyards strengthens human-wildlife connections in our communities and helps spread awareness for habitat conservation. Education and individual actions are key to the preservation of these disappearing species.
    [Show full text]
  • Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) As Biological Control Agents of Pests
    Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) As Biological Control Agents Of Pests A Bibliography Hassan Ghahari Department of Entomology, Islamic Azad University, Science & Research Campus, P. O. Box 14515/775, Tehran – Iran; [email protected] Preface The Ichneumonidae is one of the most species rich families of all organisms with an estimated 60000 species in the world (Townes, 1969). Even so, many authorities regard this figure as an underestimate! (Gauld, 1991). An estimated 12100 species of Ichneumonidae occur in the Afrotropical region (Africa south of the Sahara and including Madagascar) (Townes & Townes, 1973), of which only 1927 have been described (Yu, 1998). This means that roughly 16% of the afrotropical ichneumonids are known to science! These species comprise 338 genera. The family Ichneumonidae is currently split into 37 subfamilies (including, Acaenitinae; Adelognathinae; Agriotypinae; Alomyinae; Anomaloninae; Banchinae; Brachycyrtinae; Campopleginae; Collyrinae; Cremastinae; Cryptinae; Ctenopelmatinae; 1 Diplazontinae; Eucerotinae; Ichneumoninae; Labeninae; Lycorininae; Mesochorinae; Metopiinae; Microleptinae; Neorhacodinae; Ophioninae; Orthopelmatinae; Orthocentrinae; Oxytorinae; Paxylomatinae; Phrudinae; Phygadeuontinae; Pimplinae; Rhyssinae; Stilbopinae; Tersilochinae; Tryphoninae; Xoridinae) (Yu, 1998). The Ichneumonidae, along with other groups of parasitic Hymenoptera, are supposedly no more species rich in the tropics than in the Northern Hemisphere temperate regions (Owen & Owen, 1974; Janzen, 1981; Janzen & Pond, 1975), although
    [Show full text]
  • Predation by Anolis Lizards on Battus Philenor Raises Questions About Butterfly Mimicry Systems
    Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 41(3). 1987. 141- 144 PREDATION BY ANOLIS LIZARDS ON BATTUS PHILENOR RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT BUTTERFLY MIMICRY SYSTEMS FRANCOIS J. ODENDAAL, MARK D. RAUSHER, BETTY BENREyl AND JUAN NUNEZ-FARFANl Zoology Department, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27703 ABSTRACT. Anolis lizards in Texas make supposedly distasteful and poisonous Battus philenor adults a component of their natural diet. The lizards appear to suffer no ill effects, and individual lizards will eat Battus more than once. We followed individual female butterflies searching for oviposition sites for 90 h and observed 4 instances of predation in the field. We supplemented these observations with field experiments and a laboratory study. Results raise questions about the general importance of lizard predation in the evolution of butterfly mimicry systems. Additional key words: Papilionidae, aristolochic acid, distasteful butterflies, pipevine swallowtail. Mimicry is widespread in nature, and studies of predation on but­ terflies have been prominent in the development of ideas about apo­ sematic coloration (Brower 1958, Brower et al. 1963, Rothschild et al. 1972). Most of these studies have involved examining the behavior of captive predators when offered palatable and distasteful butterflies. There is remarkably little information on predation of adult butterflies in nature, and published field observations deal almost exclusively with attacks of birds on butterflies (Fryer 1913, Rutowski 1978, Wourms & Wasserman 1985). Observations of natural predation by lizards are rare (Ehrlich & Ehrlich, 1982), yet "birds and lizards have long been con­ sidered to be the major selective agents responsible for the extreme diversity of unpalatable and mimetic forms of butterflies in nature" (Boyden 1976).
    [Show full text]
  • Sentinels on the Wing: the Status and Conservation of Butterflies in Canada
    Sentinels on the Wing The Status and Conservation of Butterflies in Canada Peter W. Hall Foreword In Canada, our ties to the land are strong and deep. Whether we have viewed the coasts of British Columbia or Cape Breton, experienced the beauty of the Arctic tundra, paddled on rivers through our sweeping boreal forests, heard the wind in the prairies, watched caribou swim the rivers of northern Labrador, or searched for song birds in the hardwood forests of south eastern Canada, we all call Canada our home and native land. Perhaps because Canada’s landscapes are extensive and cover a broad range of diverse natural systems, it is easy for us to assume the health of our important natural spaces and the species they contain. Our country seems so vast compared to the number of Canadians that it is difficult for us to imagine humans could have any lasting effect on nature. Yet emerging science demonstrates that our natural systems and the species they contain are increas- ingly at risk. While the story is by no means complete, key indicator species demonstrate that Canada’s natural legacy is under pressure from a number of sources, such as the conversion of lands for human uses, the release of toxic chemicals, the introduction of new, invasive species or the further spread of natural pests, and a rapidly changing climate. These changes are hitting home and, with the globalization and expansion of human activities, it is clear the pace of change is accelerating. While their flights of fancy may seem insignificant, butterflies are sentinels or early indicators of this change, and can act as important messengers to raise awareness.
    [Show full text]
  • Tiger Swallowtail, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio Glaucus Linnaeus (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)1 Donald W
    EENY-61 Tiger Swallowtail, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio glaucus Linnaeus (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)1 Donald W. Hall and Jerry F. Butler2 Introduction Nomenclature The eastern tiger swallowtail, Papilio glaucus Linnaeus, is Linnaeus grouped some swallowtails and other butterflies probably our most recognizable swallowtail in the eastern under the genus name Papilio (Tyler 1975). Papilio is the United States. It is admired by butterfly gardeners and Latin word for butterfly. The subgenus name Pterourus is treasured by young butterfly collectors. The first drawing from the Greek roots “ptero” for wing and “ura” for tail of a North American swallowtail was of a male tiger (Borror 1960). swallowtail and was drawn in 1587 by John White, who was commander of Sir Walter Raleigh’s third expedition to There is disagreement on the generic classification of the North America (Holland 1949; Opler and Krizek 1984). The swallowtails (Hancock 1983, Miller 1987). Some authors eastern tiger swallowtail’s popularity is evident from its use (e.g., Tyler et al. 1994; Minno et al. 2005) follow the system on two US postage stamps (Figure 1). that elevates the subgenus Pterourus to generic status as proposed by Hancock (1983). Because the name Papilio is still so widely used in sources available to the public, it will be used here instead of Pterourus for practical reasons. Distribution The eastern tiger swallowtail is widely distributed from New England west through the southern Great Lakes area and most of the Great Plains states (with a few records from Colorado) and south to Texas and Florida (Figure 2). In the northern United States and southern Canada, the eastern tiger swallowtail is sympatric (occurring within the same geographical area) with the closely related Canadian tiger Figure 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Battus Philenor: Papilionidae)
    Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 40(3), 1986, 191-205 PHYSICAL CONSTRAINTS OF DEFENSE AND RESPONSE TO INVERTEBRA TE PREDATORS BY PIPEVINE CATERPILLARS (BATTUS PHILENOR: PAPILIONIDAE) NANCY E. STAMP Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York, Binghamton, New York 13901 ABSTRACT. The responses of pipevine swallowtail caterpillars (Battus philenor: Papilionidae) to simulated attacks of invertebrate enemies and to actual attack by coc­ cinel\id larvae (Hippodamia convergens: Coccinellidae) were examined. The caterpillars were more reactive to the simulated attack of a biting predator than to the simulated touch by an insect enemy. Active fifth instars reached around to the posterior or walked away in response to stimuli, whereas prepupal fifth instars were more likely to extrude the osmeterium and never moved away from the stimuli. Caterpillars that were larger than the coccinellid predators were attacked but seldom eaten. In contrast, larvae that were the same size or smaller than the coccinellids were killed more frequently. When the caterpillars were attacked posteriorly, they defended a limited area by reaching around while the prolegs remained attached. The area defended depends on cuticular stretch, number of attached prolegs, current physiological state, and type and degree of stimulation. A common view of insects as prey is that behaviorally they are rather defenseless. Dixon (1973) stated, "The general impression conveyed by the literature is that aphids and related small insects are helpless, sed­ entary and thin-skinned creatures that invite the attention of any pred­ ator that comes along." Generally, that same view is held for caterpil­ lars and other immature insects. Yet caterpillars can and will defend themselves under certain circumstances, such as when attacked by insect predators and parasitoids.
    [Show full text]
  • Battus Philenor (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) Larvae Find Host Plants
    RESEARCH ARTICLE Long Frontal Projections Help Battus philenor (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) Larvae Find Host Plants Ikuo Kandori1*, Kazuko Tsuchihara2, Taichi A. Suzuki3, Tomoyuki Yokoi4, Daniel R. Papaj5 1 Laboratory of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kinki University, Nara, Japan, 2 Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan, 3 Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, United States of America, 4 Laboratory of Conservation Ecology, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan, 5 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, United States of America * [email protected] Abstract Animals sometimes develop conspicuous projections on or near their heads as, e.g., weap- onry, burrowing or digging tools, and probes to search for resources. The frontal projections that insects generally use to locate and assess resources are segmented appendages, including antennae, maxillary palps, and labial palps. There is no evidence to date that OPEN ACCESS arthropods, including insects, use projections other than true segmental appendages to locate food. In this regard, it is noteworthy that some butterfly larvae possess a pair of long Citation: Kandori I, Tsuchihara K, Suzuki TA, Yokoi T, Papaj DR (2015) Long Frontal Projections Help antenna-like projections on or near their heads. To date, the function of these projections Battus philenor (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) Larvae has not been established. Larvae of pipevine swallowtail butterflies Battus philenor (Papilio- Find Host Plants. PLoS ONE 10(7): e0131596. nidae) have a pair of long frontal fleshy projections that, like insect antennae generally, can doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0131596 be actively moved.
    [Show full text]