# 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.

- **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.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/e84234be-c9bb-4872-a86f-d7d4afc2ec9c
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/258354
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraclides anchisiades
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/554559/medium.jpg (Geoff Gallice, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.