Swallowtail Caterpillars | What's That Bug?

Category Archives: swallowtail caterpillars rss

Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillar

caterpillar
Location: Brisbane, Australia
February 8, 2012 8:04 pm
Hi,
There are a couple of these guys eating my kaffir lime tree – what sort of caterpillar is he? What sort of butterfly would he become???
Signature: Katie

Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillar

Dear KAtie,
Your caterpillar is that of the Orchard Swallowtail, Papilio aegeus, a common species in Australia. The adult Orchard Swallowtail is a lovely butterfly, though lacking namesake tails on the wings found in so many members of the genus. The Caterpillars feed on the leaves of citrus. The Brisbane Insect website has nice images of the entire life cycle of the Orchard Swallowtail.

Thanks! one of the is already pupa-ing up. Can’t wait to see them as butterflies

Please send photos of the chrysalis and butterfly if possible.

I like This

¶ Posted 09 February 2012 § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: WTB? Down Under

Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillar from Australia

Caterpillar
Location: Australia QLD Redcliffe 4020
December 9, 2011 10:18 pm
Hey guys.
Found this Caterpillar today eating my Orange Tree leaves. Like to know what this is and if it’s a thread to the tree or not.
Michael
Signature: michael from australia redcliffe QLD

Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillar

Dear Michael,
This spectacular caterpillar is that of an Orchard Swallowtail, Papilio aegeus, and we confirmed that identification on the Brisbane Insect website. As you indicated, the caterpillar eats the foliage of orange and other citrus trees, however, the loss of some leaves will not harm the tree appreciably. The red horns at the front of your caterpillar is a scent organ known as the osmeterium. It is normally hidden, but when the caterpillar feels threatened by a predator, the osmeterium is displayed along with an odor that is described as disagreeable.

I like This

¶ Posted 19 January 2012 § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: WTB? Down Under

Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar

The coolest caterpillar ever at least in NJ
Location: Coastal Central NJ
November 12, 2011 9:55 pm
My daughter found this caterpillar in the road
Signature: Chris Miller

Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar

Hi Chris,
This is the caterpillar of a Spicebush Swallowtail. It is widely believed that the false eyes are a type of mimicry that helps to deter predators like birds that mistake this potentially bitesized morsel for an even larger predator like a snake.

Permission to reproduce photo requested
December 1, 2011 10:08 am
Dear Daniel Marlos,
I take the liberty of writing to you because I am about to publish, at Les Éditions de la Transparence, a completely revised version of my doctoral thesis dealing with contemporary painting and entitled L’Image peinte. Enjeux et perspectives de la peinture figurative des années 90 à nos jours, which received in 2009 the Thesis Prize of the University of Aix-Marseille I.
Therefore, I would like to know if you could give us your authorization to print the following reproduction of an image of caterpillar, belonging to the corpus of my aesthetic analysis:
Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar, Coastal Central NJ, Signature Chris Miller.
Thanks in advance for your attention. I am of course entirely at your disposal to answer any question you may have regarding this book, whose publication is programmed for March 2012; a copy will be put at your disposal.
Yours sincerely,
Jean-François Desserre.

Dear Jean-Francois Desserre,
Sorry for the delay, but we are just catching up on old emails. Thanks for writing and requesting permission to use this photo, however, the copyright does belong to Chris Miller. We believe we have found his email address and we will copy him to see if he will grant permission. Normally in situations like this, we request that a comment be posted directly to the original posting so that the photographer can comment. Good luck with the publication of your thesis.

¶ Posted 13 November 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Androgeus Swallowtail and Caterpillar from Puerto Rico

about a caterpilar
Location: Puerto Rico
November 12, 2011 8:58 am
hey! I’m trying to find whats the name of the bugs I’m sending please replay as soon as possible
Signature: Jenny

Androgeus Swallowtail Caterpillar

Hi Jenny,
Both your caterpillar and adult have a strong resemblance to the Giant Swallowtail, however, there are subtle differences that caused us to doubt that as the correct identification. Here is a photo of a Giant Swallowtail Caterpillar from our archives and a photo of an adult Giant Swallowtail from our archives. Our continued research brought us to the Adven Tours of Puerto Rico website and their butterfly list that included five swallowtails from Puerto Rico including the Androgeus Swallowtail that seemed to be a good match. The Butterflies of Americawebsite pictures this sexually dimorphic species that indicates your adult is a male. The Butterflies and Moths of North America website only pictures the female, but this information is included to support the larval food plant since your photos appear to be citrus leaves: “Caterpillar Hosts: Leaves of trees in citrus (Rutaceae) family orange (Citrus sinensis) and Zanthoxylum elephantiasis.”

papilio androgeus puerto rico jenny 300x206 Androgeus Swallowtail and Caterpillar from Puerto Rico

Male Papilio androgeus emerges from Chrysalis

Finally, we located this nice image of a stamp from Cuba picturing this lovely butterfly.

stamp cuba papilio androgeus 300x252 Androgeus Swallowtail and Caterpillar from Puerto Rico

Androgeus Swallowtail on a Cuban Stamp

Question from Keith Wolfe
November 13, 2011
Daniel, would it be possible to ask Jenny if she’s 100% sure that the splendid emerged butterfly resulted from the pictured brown and white caterpillar? Thank you very much!
Best wishes,
Keith

Keith Wolfe writes back
November 17, 2011
Hi Daniel,
Despite your follow-up email to Jenny going unanswered, I’m nevertheless convinced that your identification of her caterpillar as an Androgeus Swallowtail (Papilio androgeus) is correct. Good work, Bugman! Although I recognize the larva, to include being familiar with several other look-alikes in its species group, I wanted to double-check with a scholarly list of Puerto Rican butterflies, such as this somewhat dated report — http://academic.uprm.edu/publications/cjs/VOL17/P059-068.PDF (tourism websites are not necessarily a reliable source of scientific information). FYI on another young Androgeus Swallowtail from Ecuador — http://c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000Lx7jqbezL_M/s/1000.
Cheers,
Keith

Thanks for the vote of confidence Keith. Your insightful contributions are always most welcomed.

hey! I’m sorry it took me so long to replay, but no the caterpillar is a totally different from the butterfly!
Jenny

¶ Posted 12 November 2011 § swallowtails ‡ Comments (0) °

Orange Dog mimics Bird Dropping

Giant Swallowtail caterpillar in Louisiana
Location: Louisiana
October 31, 2011 1:13 pm
Hello WTB! Love your site. Attached is a couple pictures of what I believe to be a Giant Swallowtail caterpillar. I hope you can find use for it.
Signature: Simon Mahan

Orange Dog

Hi Simon,
The larvae of Giant Swallowtails are commonly called Orange Dogs because they feed on the leaves of citrus trees, including orange trees. Your caterpillar is an early instar, meaning is still will undergo several molts before transforming into a chrysalis. Giant Swallowtail Caterpillars are easily overlooked by predators because they resemble bird droppings.

Thank you! And yes, it was on an orange tree =-)
-Simon

¶ Posted 02 November 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Black Swallowtail Caterpillar

Unknown caterpiller with warning stalks?
Location: Harrisburg, PA.
September 28, 2011 7:26 pm
I was wondering if you had an idea as to what this little fellow is. The first photo shows the results of prodding him with a stem to move him into better camera view. The orange stalks appear to be some sort of defensive measure. Could you inform me as to what they actually do? Any help would be appreciated.
Signature: Joseph Grabko

Black Swallowtail Caterpillar

Hi Joseph,
One of your photos shows this early instar Black Swallowtail Caterpillar on an Italian parsley leaf, one of the garden herbs that serves as a host plant for the caterpillar that is often called a Parsley Worm or Carrot Worm. Fully grown Black Swallowtail Caterpillars have a striking green, black, yellow and white pattern that your individual doesn’t yet possess since it is an earlier instar. Caterpillars molt five times between the time they hatch from eggs until they metamorphose into a chrysalis, and each of the stages is called an instar. The orange stalks you mentioned are a scent organ called an osmetriumthat is characteristic of Swallowtail Caterpillars from around the world. As you indicated, it is a defense measure that will dissuade predators like birds. Your individual is one of the earliest instar images we have received of a Swallowtail Caterpillar displaying its osmetrium.

Black Swallowtail Caterpillar displaying Osmetrium

¶ Posted 29 September 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar

What’s this caterpiller?
Location: Ft. Smith, AR
September 23, 2011 5:43 pm
Found him on our outdoor carpet in a campground near Ft. Smith, AR.
Signature: sally01

Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar

Hi sally01,
This distinctive caterpillar with metamorphose into a Spicebush Swallowtail.

¶ Posted 24 September 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Swallowtail Caterpillar India: Common Mormon

this creature on my lime tree
Location: india
September 23, 2011 2:55 am
Have found a few of these on my lime tree and i am told they chew up all the leaves. but since i dont know their name, i am unable to address the problem.
please help
Signature: Sukhie

Lime Butterfly Caterpillar

Dear Sukhie,
This is the caterpillar of a Swallowtail Butterfly, and unless the tree is totally defoliated, which we doubt will happen, the loss of a few leaves to feed this caterpillar is a small sacrifice to be able to enjoy the lovely adults flitting around the garden. The red structure is a defense organ known as an osmetrium, and in addition to resembling the tongue of a snake, the caterpillar is able to give off a strong scent that dissuades predators. We did a bit of research and we have learned that your caterpillar is Papilio demoleus malayanus, and it is commonly called the Lime Butterfly. We searched the internet and found many photos of the caterpillar, but your photo is probably one of the best. We are proud to include it on our website. You can see the entire life cycle of this lovely species on the Butterflies of Singapore website.

Thank you for your prompt reply, have plenty other pictures of this caterpillar as well. Have removed the from my young trees and placed them elsewhere. Love them butterflies.
regards
Sukhie

Make sure you place them on lime or other citrus if you want them to survive.

Correction Courtesy of Keith Wolfe
Hello Daniel and Sukhie,
Knowing that your time to do Internet searches is very limited, Daniel, please allow me to correct the caterpillar ID to that of the COMMON MORMON (Papilio polytes). I’ve seen hundreds of Lime Butterfly and Common Mormon larvae all across Asia, the two being easily separable by a coffee-colored band between the “eyes” (Lime Butterfly) and prominent blue spots on the head and body (Common Mormon). FYI on a simple comparative Word doc that I posted several years ago on an Indian forum — http://groups.google.com/group/butterfly_india/msg/405238f507d08e91.
Best wishes,
Keith