Ruby-spotted Swallowtail
Heraclides anchisiades
To avoid predators, the young caterpillars congregate on tree trunks and mimic bird droppings, only taking on their striking butterfly form after pupation.
- Scientific name
- Heraclides anchisiades
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Papilionidae › Heraclides
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Subtropical and tropical forests, citrus orchards, and suburban gardens.
- Diet
- Adults feed on flower nectar (especially Lantana and Ixora); caterpillars feed on leaves of the citrus family (Rutaceae).
- Range
- Southern Texas, Mexico, Central America, South America
- Size
- Wingspan of 7 to 10 cm (2.8 to 4 inches).
- Lifespan
- 10 to 14 days as an adult; approximately 2 months total lifecycle.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Pesticide application in agricultural citrus groves and habitat loss.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Enjoy their fluttering flight from any distance. If you find a caterpillar, avoid handling them to prevent distress; they may extrude a smelly, orange Y-shaped gland (osmeterium) as a defense, but this is non-toxic to humans.
Papilio anchisiades , the ruby-spotted swallowtail or red-spotted swallowtail , is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found from southern Texas south to Argentina. Rare strays can be found up to Kansas, southeastern Arizona, and western Texas.
Photo: Geoff Gallice, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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