Swallowtail Butterfly - Morphology

Morphology

The detailed descriptions of morphological characteristics of the Papilionidae, as quoted in Bingham (1905) are as follows:

Egg. "Dome-shaped, smooth or obscurely facetted, not as high as wide, somewhat leathery, opaque." (Doherty.) Larva. Stout, smooth or with a series of fleshy tubercles on the dorsum : sometimes with a raised fleshy protuberance (the so-called hood or crest) on the fourth segment which is also generally thickened above. The second segment has a transverse opening, out of which the larva can protrude at will an erect, forked, glandular fleshy organ that emits a strong, somewhat pleasant, but always penetrating odour. Pupa. Variable in form but superiorly most often curved backwards, sometimes very strongly so ; angulate, with the head truncate or rounded, often bifid ; back of abdomen smooth or tuberculate. Attached by the tail, normally in a perpendicular position, and further secured by a silken girth round the middle. In Parnassius strangely enough the pupa is placed in a loose silken web between leaves. Imago. Wings extraordinarily variable in shape. Hind wing very frequently with a tail, which may be slender, or broad and spatulate, but is always an extension of the termen at vein 4. In one genus, Armandia, the termen of the hind wing is prolonged into tails at the apices of veins 2 and 3 as well as at vein 4. Pore wing (except in the aberrant genera Parnassius and Hypermnestra) with all 12 veins present and in addition a short internal vein, vein 1 a, that invariably terminates on the dorsal margin. There is also a short transverse vein present at base of wing between the median vein and vein 1a in all genera except Leptocircus, Armandia, Parnassius, and Hypermnestra. Hind wing : vein 1a absent; precostal vein and precostal cell both present; dorsal margin not excavated so as to receive the abdomen, but in the male frequently folded over and studded within the fold with specialized scales (androconia) or hairs that are often strongly scented. Antennae comparatively short, with generally a distinct club; "the distal joints mostly more expanded ventrally than dorsally, so that the club is curved dorsad" (Jordan). The scaling most extended in Leptocircus, but in Papilio confined to the basal joints. Body stout; claspers at apex of abdomen in the male generally well-developed, absent in a few forms. Six walking legs; the fore tibiae with a medial pad; claws simple except in one form of Leptocircus, which has them bifid.

Stages of development of a papilionid – Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)

• Egg

• Caterpillar

• Chrysalis

• Adult