Swallowtail Caterpillars | What's That Bug?

Category Archives: swallowtail caterpillars rss

Citrus Swallowtail Caterpillar Metamorphosis in South Africa

Caterpillar identification

Citrus Swallowtail Caterpillar prepares to Pupate

Caterpillar identification
Location: Still Bay, Western Cape, South Africa
February 19, 2011 10:13 am
Hi. I have a caterpillar that has decided to attach itself to our carport. Would love to know what species it is and how long we need to watch till it emerges again.
Signature: Galye

swallowtail prepupa south africa galye 178x300 Citrus Swallowtail Caterpillar Metamorphosis in South Africa

Citrus Swallowtail Caterpillar prepares to pupate

Dear Galye,
This is the caterpillar of a Swallowtail Butterfly in the family Papilionidae. We believe it is the caterpillar of a Citrus Swallowtail, Papilio demodocus. You can compare you individual to this image on FlickR or this image on WebShots. We hare happy you sent us images of both the pre-pupa and the Chrysalis. The Chrysalis of most Swallowtail Butterflies is unique in that it is supported in an upright position by a girdle of silk.

Citrus Swallowtail Chrysalis

Keith Wolfe provides some information
Hi Galye,
Yes, if healthy, your chrysalis will metamorphose into a Citrus Swallowtail — aka Christmas Butterfly, because adults are often commonest in December, and Orange Dog, because its caterpillars can be pests of young orange trees and related plants — in about 10 days. BTW, here is a better image for you to compare (the above Flickr link shows an unusually marked individual, while the Webshots photo is misidentified): http://photocamel.com/gallery/data/1138/Papilio_demodocus_final_instar_Gillitts_14_Mar_09.jpg.
Best wishes,
Keith

Update from Galye
February 28, 2011
Thank you so much for your quick reply. Loved the photo links you sent. Unfortunately we missed the butterfly coming out of the pupa stage. Have some photo’s of the pupa casing that was left. Would love it if you could send me a link for some photos that show the butterfly emerging.

Citrus Swallowtail Chrysalis Exuvia

Hi Galye,
Thanks for the update and new photo, and we are sorry you missed the actual transformation process. Alas, we were unable to quickly locate an image of a Citrus Swallowtail Butterfly emerging from the chrysalis, but we did get documentation of a newly emerged individual in 2007. We also located this image of a Giant Swallowtail emerging from the Chrysalis on the Science Photo Library website.

add Citrus Swallowtail Caterpillar Metamorphosis in South Africa

I like This

¶ Posted 19 February 2011 § ‡ Comments (1) °

Chinese Yellow Swallowtail Caterpillar in Hawaii

swallowtail caterpillar in hawai’i
Location: Honolulu, HI
February 1, 2011 10:33 pm
Can you tell me what kind of swallowtail this is?
Found them on my tangelo…
Mahalo!
Signature: local boy

Chinese Yellow Swallowtail Caterpillar

Dear local boy,
We did a web search and found that the Chinese Yellow Swallowtail, Papilio xuthus, is well documented in Hawaii based on the Butterflies of Hawaii website. The image of the caterpillar on the Chinese Yellow Swallowtail pictured on the Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias website matches your specimen.

Wow, that was super-quick!
Mahalo nui Daniel! Me and my kids love the website–mahalo for your labor of love.
Kua’aina

add Chinese Yellow Swallowtail Caterpillar in Hawaii

I like This

¶ Posted 02 February 2011 § ‡ Comments (2) °

Blue Mountain Swallowtail Caterpillar, Papilio ulysses, from Australia

what type of caterpillar is this
Location: Queensland (cairns)
January 14, 2011 11:46 pm
HI bugman
I need your help to identify this caterpillar,I found it in my garden
and if you can,can you please find out what the caterpillar eats.
Thanks
Signature: delaney potoi

Mountain Blue Caterpillar: Papilio ulysses

Dear Delaney,
We are a bit confused by your request, though we are thrilled to post your photograph. When we first read your email, we thought you had labeled this image “Ulysses Caterpillar” because someone named Ulysses found it. Upon doing our research, we found that it is the caterpillar of the Blue Mountain Swallowtail, Papilio ulysses, which we have always called the Ulysses Swallowtail. It would appear that you already had an identification prior to submitting your request. We identified your caterpillar on the Caterpillars of Australia website which indicates: “In the wild they feed on the new growth foliage of the jungle trees : Fuzzy Lemon Aspen ( Acronychia vestita ), Silver Ash (Flindersia bourjotiana ), Glasswood ( Geijera salicifolia ), Kerosine Wood ( Halfordia kendack ), Yellow Evodia ( Melicope bonwickii ), Pink Princess ( Melicope elleryana ), Little Evodia ( Melicope rubra ), Northern Euodia ( Melicope vitiflora ), and they will also accept the foliage of: Oranges, Lemons, etc. ( Citrus species ), all of RUTACEAE.“ The adult butterfly is a beautiful metallic blue butterfly with tails on the hind wings. When a caterpillar is found on a plant, it is a very good indication that the plant is being eaten.

Ulysses Swallowtail postage stamp 2003

The Butterfly Corner website has nice photos of mounted specimens, and this species is quite popular in decorative collections, but we much prefer the photographs of the living specimens on the Wildlife Australia website. The adult Blue Mountain Swallowtail or Ulysses Swallowtail has been depicted on at least four Australian postage stamps including the two we are including in this posting.

Ulysses Swallowtail postage stamp 1998

add Blue Mountain Swallowtail Caterpillar, Papilio ulysses, from Australia

I like This

¶ Posted 16 January 2011 § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: WTB? Down Under

The Mystery of the Cutworm and the Chrysalis

Caterpillar munching on chrysalis
Location: Rancho Bernardo, CA
December 8, 2010 1:46 am
Hello bugman,
This site is awesome! Please help identify this caterpillar that has been feasting on my Anise Swallowtail chrysalis. I found him on 12-5-10 tunneling through this chrysalis and also found a few other empty shells. I live in San Diego, CA.
Thank you.
Signature: cknapp

Cutworm and Chrysalis

Dear cknapp,
The caterpillar in your photo looks like a Cutworm, the caterpillar of a Dart Moth in the subfamily Noctuinae. The odd thing is that in neither of your photos is any actual eating occurring, and the tail end of the Cutworm appears attached to the Chrysalis. The Chrysalis also appears to have a hole indicating that it was parasitized by an Ichneumon. We will not be tagging this as a Food Chain image because the evidence does not indicate that the Cutworm fed on a living Chrysalis.

cutworm eats chrysalis cknapp 2 300x144 The Mystery of the Cutworm and the Chrysalis

Cutworm and Chrysalis: What is really happening here???

Thank you for the reply. I have a screened cage where I have about 15 swallowtail chrysalis. On Sunday I was cleaning out some plants when I noticed one chrysalis had a large hole in the side and it was empty. That is when I discovered this ‘cutworm’ hanging out of another chrysalis. When first found he was head first in the chrysalis with tail end hanging out. I removed the chrysalis and cutworm from the enclosure, placed in a tupperware and took some pictures. These first pictures showed the head inside the chrysalis and the tail end hanging out (it appeared to be eating). Withing an hour it backed out of the chrysalis but it kept grabbing at the chrysalis and moving it around the tupperware container. Then it went back into the chrysalis and exited through the bottom of the chrysalis which are the pictures I posted. I thought those pictures provided a better view of the ‘cutworm’ since the previous pictures I took only showed the tail end. I found the whole situation odd since I had never seen a hole this large and I did not see any wasps or indication of anything else that would have caused this.
I do appreciate your feed back. Thank you so much.
Cindy

Thanks for the additional information Cindy. Perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide some insight into this unusual phenomenon.

Karl solved the mystery (at least to our liking)
The Mystery of the Cutworm and the Chrysalis – December 8, 2010
Hi Daniel and Cindy:
It is a Noctuid moth but the subfamily is Heliothinae. It looks like a Corn Earworm (also Cotton Bollworm and several other common names), Helicoverpa (=heliothis) zea. The caterpillars come in a wide variety of colors and they change color as they progress through their moults. They are considered a very serious pest on many agricultural crops, although they apparently favour corn. The question of course is, was he caught in the act or was he an innocent bystander? Well, if any caterpillar could commit such a crime, this would probably be it. These are aggressive little guys with predatory tendencies and a reputation for cannibalism. According to one report (Chilcutt 2006), cannibalism may in fact be the most important mortality factor for H. zea. Predation on other species also has been reported, but appears less common. If he didn’t do it, perhaps he was just sniffing around for leftovers. Regards. Karl

Wow Karl,
This is like an Agatha Christie episode of the insect world. Cannibalism in Caterpillars, and then out and out predation of a harmless slumbering chrysalis. After Cindy’s last email, I had already reconsidered the reluctance to tag this posting as “Food Chain“.

add The Mystery of the Cutworm and the Chrysalis

I like This

Life Cycle of a Two Tailed Swallowtail: Part 2

this is the second part of the life cycle.
November 21, 2010
Location: dirt road 4 miles north of nederland colorado in western boulder county.
the next stage the caterpillars turn brown.

Two Tailed Swallowtail changes color

they stop eating and hang on a leaf and turn brown. the first picture in this group is of a caterpillar in the process of turning brown. it takes about 8 hours for them to complete this. then they begin their walk about. they walk and walk around looking for a place to pupate.

2 tailed swallowtails 5th instar brown venice 300x193 Life Cycle of a Two Tailed Swallowtail: Part 2

Two Tailed Swallowtails: Fifth Instar Green and Brown

the 2nd picture is of one of the brown ones on his walk about passing his still green sibling. they are 2 inches long now. the first one turned brown on sept 22, 2009.

2 tailed swallowtail prechrysalis 2 venice 300x250 Life Cycle of a Two Tailed Swallowtail: Part 2

Two Tailed Swallowtail: Pre-Chrysalis

when he finds his place on a twig (3rd photo) he will glue his bottom to the twig and then spin a silk thread to hold his top half to the twig. as you can see he is holding on with his pro legs as well. he becomes very still and hangs there for about two days.

2 tailed swallowtail prechrysalis 3 venice 300x232 Life Cycle of a Two Tailed Swallowtail: Part 2

Two Tailed Swallowtail: Pre-Chrysalis

the 4th picture shows that he has let go of the twig with his pro legs.

2 tailed swallowtail chrysalis venice 300x276 Life Cycle of a Two Tailed Swallowtail: Part 2

Two Tailed Swallowtail Chrysalis

and in the 5th photo he has shed his skin for the last time and is now a chrysalis. i only got to see one of them actually shedding his skin at this stage and i didn’t get a picture. i was surprised at how quickly they come out of that skin and still have the thread attached and the bottom glued. the first one pupated on sept 24,2009. i kept them all winter in a cold room and spritzed them weekly to keep them moist. and it wasn’t till the third week of july 2010 when the first one hatched. by then i was keeping them outside in shade, but warm. i still spritzed them to keep them moist.

2 tailed swallowtail emerges venice 300x226 Life Cycle of a Two Tailed Swallowtail: Part 2

Two Tailed Swallowtail emerges from Chrysalis

the 6th photo is a male two tail just recently hatched. he is still letting his wings harden. it takes a few hours before they are ready to fly. he started to flap around the aquarium and i knew he was ready. this one hatched on july 24th,2010.
the last photo shows him released. he flew into a pine tree and stayed there for a little while. i was elated with each release. all five of the eggs hatched and grew and became chrysalids and were released in the same area i found the eggs. there were two females and three males. the last one hatched on aug. 7th 2010. nearly a year from the date the eggs were laid. what a magical experience for me.
hope this can be of some use to anyone wanting to raise two tailed swallowtails.
thanks,
venice kelly
nov.21, 2010

Two Tailed Swallowtail

Hi again Venice,
We are in awe of your marvelous documentation of the life cycle of a Two Tailed Swallowtail. Thanks so much for providing this information for our viewership. Dear Readers, be sure to read Part 1 of this metamorphosis if you missed it. Again, we want to add that caterpillars undergo five instars, and we suspect you missed a molt somewhere between four and five, and since your email indicates you never witnessed the molting process until the chrysalis stage, that would indicate the error in your count. Please do not take this as a criticism as we are in awe of your dedication and the wealth of information you have provided.

thanks daniel for letting me know that when they turn brown it is the 5th instar. i was unclear about the terminology for this.
thanks for all of your knowledge. and i am very happy it didn’t take you 2 hours to post.
venice

¶ Posted 21 November 2010 § swallowtails ‡ Comments (1) °

Life Cycle of Two Tailed Swallowtail: Part 1

complete life cycle of two tailed swallowtail
November 21, 2010
Location: dirt road 4 miles north of nederland colorado in western boulder county
hi daniel,
here are the photo’s i was telling you about of the complete life cycle of two tailed swallowtails. i have to send them in two emails as i am not able to send all 14 photo’s in one email.
the first seven photo’s begin with a picture of the female two tail laying her eggs on a choke cherry bush.

Two Tailed Swallowtail Lays Eggs

it was aug. 9, 2009. we were on a dirt road 4 miles north of nederland colorado in western boulder county. i had never seen a two tail at this elevation (about 8,500 feet). i found 5 eggs and brought them home to raise. i had never raised butterflies before so the whole process was new to me. and i quickly found out that two tails have a very long process to complete their life cycle.

2 tailed swallowtail hatches venice 300x228 Life Cycle of Two Tailed Swallowtail: Part 1

Two Tailed Swallowtail egg shell and hatchling First Instar

the 2nd photo is of a hatchling. it is greatly enlarged. the eggs are the size of a pin head and the caterpillar (larvae)is the size of a comma. this is the first instar. the date of the first hatchling was aug. 21st.

2 tailed swallowtail 2nd instar venice 300x255 Life Cycle of Two Tailed Swallowtail: Part 1

Two Tailed Swallowtail Caterpillar: Second Instar

seven days later (3rd photo) one molted to the 2nd instar. now they look like bird poop as a protective measure. they didn’t all molt on the same day.

2 tailed swallowtail 3rd instar venice 300x225 Life Cycle of Two Tailed Swallowtail: Part 1

Two Tailed Swallowtail Caterpillar: Third Instar

two weeks after that they molted to the 3rd instar (4th photo). they still look similar but are getting bigger all the time and eating more.

2 tailed swallowtail 4th instar venice 300x204 Life Cycle of Two Tailed Swallowtail: Part 1

Two Tailed Swallowtail Caterpillar: Fourth Instar

about a week later (5th photo)they started molting again and the photo shows one crawling away from his skin. this is the 4th instar and he looks like green velvet. there are several stages to the 4th instar.

2 tailed swallowtail 4th instar 2 venice 300x240 Life Cycle of Two Tailed Swallowtail: Part 1

Two Tailed Swallowtail: Fourth Instar

the first is the green velvet look then they become brighter green and the white bird shaped marking on their backs still shows (6th photo) and then the white marking disappears (7th photo). they are getting bigger and bigger and eating LOTS!
i will continue this in the 2nd email with the remaining photo’s. thanks, venice

2 tailed swallowtail 5th instar venice 300x179 Life Cycle of Two Tailed Swallowtail: Part 1

Two Tailed Swallowtail: Final Instar we believe

Dear Venice,
Thanks so much for sending this awesome documentation. We don’t mean to disagree with you, but caterpillars have five instars. We believe the final image in the first half of this series is actually the final or Fifth Instar. When the caterpillar is getting ready to form a chrysalis, it often changes colors, which is where the second half of your series picks up. Dear Readers, Don’t forget to read Part 2 of the Life Cycle of a Two Tailed Swallowtail.

¶ Posted 21 November 2010 § Eggs § swallowtails ‡ Comments (1) °

Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar

what kind of creature is this
Location: coeburn virginia
November 8, 2010 8:14 pm
found this in the yard this summer ….can you tell me what it is??
Signature: amanda mills

Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar

Hi Amanda,
You have discovered the caterpillar of a Spicebush Swallowtail, Papilio troilus, and judging by its coloration, it is getting ready to pupate. The Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar is a green creature that blends into the leaves upon which it feeds. It has large eyespots to dissuade any potential avian predators that might try to eat it because the bird may be fooled into thinking the harmless caterpillar is a predatory snake. The coloration of the caterpillar changes to golden or even orange just prior to metamorphosis, at which time it will leave the safety of the branches to hunt for an appropriate location to transform into a chrysalis. Autumn is the season that our website receives the most identification requests for spiders and caterpillars as they become more visible at that time of year.

¶ Posted 10 November 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Ruby Spotted Swallowtail Caterpillar Aggregation from Mexico

Bugs chilling in a circle on a tree
Location: Chichen Itza, Mexico (2hrs from Cancun)
November 7, 2010 5:16 pm
I am really curious to learn what these bugs are. I was at the ruins of Chichen Itza in Mexico and I saw them on a tree. We took video of them because they would react to noise by twitching slightly. I am sending a still from that video. Let me know if you want me to send it also.
Thanks
Signature: Jessika Canizalez

Ruby Spotted Swallowtail Caterpillar Aggregation

Hi Jessica,
Many Caterpillars, and indeed a goodly number of tropical Caterpillars, for aggregations because there is safety in numbers. We do not recognize this species, but their social formation is intriguing. Many Morpho Butterflies have caterpillars that form aggregations. We may try to contact Keith Wolfe who has identified several Morpho species for us in the past. We hope to be able to provide you with a species identification soon.

Update from David Gracer
Caterpillar Aggregation from Honduras: Arsenura armida”
A.armida: very edible!
I tried this species in 4/10 at an international conference on entomophagy; one of the presenters had brought them from Mexico, and said that they’re farmed in the southern part of the country. Fascinating.
They were also exceedingly tasty, if rather unusual. They were fried or rather sauteed, and tasted like a cross between bacon and jerky. Quite yummy, actually.
Dave
www.smallstockfoods.com

Thanks for the edibility update Dave. We located a photo of the adult Arsenura armida on God of Insects and learned it is a Giant Silkmoth. We have posted other images of Arsenura armida in the past, though the coloration seemed different and we never received images of this circular “stage coach” defense.

Correction Courtesy of Karl
November 8, 2010
Hi Daniel and Jessika:
I believe your caterpillars are Ruby-spotted Swallowtails (Papilio (=Heraclides) anchisiades idaeus), a species that ranges from Texas to northern South America (or Argentina, depending on the source you read). I found a cluster just like this in Belize in 2007, but was unable to identify the species. It was during my search for an ID that I came across your fabulous WTB site, and I have been addicted ever since. Somewhat ironically, my first submission to WTB was an ID request for this very creature, but my submission was unfortunately lost in your avalanche of email. Compare this photo to a nearly identical one that appeared in Jim Conrad’s Naturalist Newsletter, with identification by social caterpillar specialist Dr. Terrence Fitzgerald. You can check out the Butterflies of America website for pictures of adults and other life stages. Regarding the caterpillars I saw in Belize, I was able to observe them over a five-day period and was struck by their tenacious site fidelity. They spent every day gathered at the exact same spot, low to the ground on the sunny side of a tree trunk. Then every night they disappeared, presumably into the treetop somewhere, but I was never able to find them there. I somehow managed to miss the actual processions, which would have been the really interesting part. When I passed my hand close to them they would raise their heads and wave them vigorously side to side, a gesture no doubt intended to intimidate me. Regards. Karl

Confirmation from Keith Wolfe
NOvember 8, 2010
Daniel, assuming their good fortune continues, this molting aggregation of caterpillars (chillin’ almost certainly on a rutaceous tree) will metamorphose NOT into moths or morphos, but rather Papilio anchisiades or something very closely related. Here is the same gregarious swallowtail species from the same famous Mayan site . . .
http://www.backyardnature.net/n/10/100919.htm (click the link under “Amazing caterpillar picture”*)
. . . and a lesser number of cohorts from elsewhere:
http://www.infojardin.com/foro/showthread.php?t=49198&page=115 (the progeny of at least two females)
http://butterfliesofamerica.com/papilio_anchisiades_idaeus_immatures.htm
Best wishes,
Keith
* In my experience, P. anchisiades larvae are not processionary.

¶ Posted 08 November 2010 § ‡ Comments (2) °

Page 3 of 171 234 5...10...»Last »

Category Archives: swallowtail caterpillars rss

Citrus Swallowtail Caterpillar Metamorphosis in South Africa

Chinese Yellow Swallowtail Caterpillar in Hawaii

Blue Mountain Swallowtail Caterpillar, Papilio ulysses, from Australia

The Mystery of the Cutworm and the Chrysalis

Life Cycle of a Two Tailed Swallowtail: Part 2

Life Cycle of Two Tailed Swallowtail: Part 1

Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar

Ruby Spotted Swallowtail Caterpillar Aggregation from Mexico

Search

Order your copy

Bug Info

Follow Us…

Account

Support WtB

Tag Cloud

Most liked

Who's Online

Pages

RSS Feeds