Orchard Swallowtail, Large Citrus Butterfly at Tathra, NSW
Identification history
| Unidentified | 3 Feb 2019 | Suzhop |
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3 comments
KerriLee
wrote:
4 Feb 2019
nice shots! most species are difficult to identify from the caterpillar alone ... but with this one we're in luck. Their caterpillars are distinctive ... this is a mature one, probably not far off pupating. If you have an interest, I'd recommend collecting it and raising it through to see the pupa and the butterfly when it emerges. Even the pupa is impressive, and the butterfly is truly spectacular! Plus, you could cross-check the species ID.
Suzhop
wrote:
5 Feb 2019
It was amazing! Also the antennae came up if you disturbed it and they were red!
KerriLee
wrote:
6 Feb 2019
Yes, and the interesting thing is that they're not antennae - it's a special, forked organ used in defence. Other species in this family also use the same trick. The sudden extension of the 'osmeterium' probably looks intimidating to may predators, plus it releases a repulsive chemical. For this species, it's probably a citrus-derived acid.
Location information
- Coordinates 149.962820-36.719332
- Altitude 65.6m
- Places Tathra, NSW
Sighting information
- 4 - 15 Abundance
- 16 Jan 2019 06:06 PM Recorded on
- Suzhop Recorded by
-
Collections
Insects Butterflies (Lepidoptera, Rhopalocera) Swallowtails (Papilionidae) Suzhop South Coast NatureMapr
Species information
- Papilio aegeus Scientific name
- Orchard Swallowtail, Large Citrus Butterfly Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 850m Recorded at altitude
- 456 images trained Machine learning
- External link More information
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Synonyms
Princeps aegeus
