Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies in the family Papilionidae, and include over 550 species. Though the majority are tropical, members of the family inhabit every continent except Antarctica. The family includes the largest butterflies in the world, the birdwing butterflies of the genus Ornithoptera.
Swallowtails have a number of distinctive features; for example, the papilionid caterpillar bears a repugnatorial organ called the osmeterium on its prothorax. The osmeterium normally remains hidden, but when threatened, the larva turns it outward through a transverse dorsal groove by inflating it with fluid.
The forked appearance in some of the swallowtails' hindwings, which can be seen when the butterfly is resting with its wings spread, gave rise to the common name swallowtail. As for its formal name, Linnaeus chose Papilio for the type genus, as papilio is Latin for "butterfly". For the specific epithets of the genus, Linnaeus applied the names of Greek figures to the swallowtails.
BATTUS PHILENOR
$7.27
BATTUS POLYDAMAS
$7.27
MIMOIDES ILUS BRANCHUS
$7.27
MIMOIDES ILUS OCCIDUUS
$3.91
MIMOIDES PHAON
$20.13
MIMOIDES PHAON PHAON
$25.72
MIMOIDES THYMBRAEUS ACOPHOS
$29.07
PAPILIO ANDROGEUS EPIDAURUS
$95.05
PAPILIO ASTYALUS BAJENSIS
$95.05
PAPILIO ASTYALUS PALLAS
$7.83
PAPILIO DIAZI HIBRID
$95.05
PAPILIO EROSTRATUS VAZQUEZAE
$95.05
PAPILIO ROGERI PHARNACES
$17.89
PARIDES ALOPIUS
$12.30
PARIDES ERITHALION POLYZELUS
$95.05
PARIDES ERITHALION TRICHOPUS
$95.05