Papilio aegeus
Encyclopedia
Papilio aegeus, commonly known as the Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly or Large Citrus Butterfly is a species
of butterfly
from the Papilionidae family
, that is found in eastern Australia
and Papua New Guinea
.
The larvae of this species are sometimes considered a pest, due to the feeding of citrus
leaves in suburban gardens.
Despite being a swallowtail, which group derives its name from the distinctive tails on the hindwing, this characteristic is entirely absent.
and Western Australia
, but it is generally found in eastern Australia. It is especially common in Queensland
and is the largest butterfly commonly found in Brisbane
where there are many citrus
trees, on which the larvae feed. During summer, the distribution is temporarily extended to Victoria
.
The subspecies P. a. ormenus is found on Papua New Guinea and Thursday Island.
family
, which includes introduced and native citrus. The eggs will hatch about one week later.
s are brown with three white patches, one the: thorax
, above the first pair of prolegs, and one on 8th and 9th segment of the abdomen
. It is lined with black and white tubercles. The larva only feed on their food plants, citus. Feeding usually takes place during the day and resting on the upper side of leaves during the night, resembling fresh bird droppings.
The later instars are green with irregular white, yellow or brown markings that run diagonally up/back from the bottom edge of the thorax to the 4th and 6th segments. After about four weeks, the larva may have reached a length of 60mm and be ready to pupate.
The larvae are sometimes parasitised by other parasitic insects. Like other swallowtail butterflies, when disturbed, the caterpillar erects it's bright red osmeterium
from behind the head, releasing the smell of citrus, to drive predators away.
grey, green or brown, depending on the colour of the stem it is attached to. The chrysalis is fastened to a stem of the host plant by means of a cremaster
. A thin girdle of silk keeps the head end of the chrysalis uppermost during pupation. Depending on the season, an imago
will emerge from the chrysalis, approximately one-six months later.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
from the Papilionidae family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
, that is found in eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
.
The larvae of this species are sometimes considered a pest, due to the feeding of citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
leaves in suburban gardens.
Description
Both male and female have black forewings with a white stripe, though there is more white overall on the female forewing. The hindwing is again black, and there is a white swath through the middle. Here the markings differ in that the female has chains of red to orange and blue crescents toward the edge. The markings on the underside are similar to those on top. The body is black. The wing-span is about 140mm in females and 120mm in males, making it rather large overall and the largest butterfly commonly seen in at least part of its range.Despite being a swallowtail, which group derives its name from the distinctive tails on the hindwing, this characteristic is entirely absent.
Distribution
Papilio aegeus can be found in every state in Australia except TasmaniaTasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
and Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, but it is generally found in eastern Australia. It is especially common in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and is the largest butterfly commonly found in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
where there are many citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
trees, on which the larvae feed. During summer, the distribution is temporarily extended to Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
.
The subspecies P. a. ormenus is found on Papua New Guinea and Thursday Island.
Subspecies
A differentiating feature between males of the two subspecies, is that the males of P. a aegeus have a red spot on the above side of each hind wing, which is absent in the males of P. a. ormenus.- P. a aegeus - Eastern AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- P. a. ormenus - Papua New GuineaPapua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
Forms
Females of both P. a. aegeus and P. a. ormenus have three forms; regular, pale and dark. The pale form has yellow spots on the hind wings, compared to the usual red spots. The front wings are almost completely white. The front wings of the dark form are almost completely black and the hind wings have a smaller white patch.Egg
The female lays creamy white, smooth, spherical eggs with an approximate diameter of 0.5 millimeters individually on the upper surface of the leaves and shoots of host plants, primarily tropical to subtropical members of the RutaceaeRutaceae
Rutaceae, commonly known as the rue or citrus family, is a family of flowering plants, usually placed in the order Sapindales.Species of the family generally have flowers that divide into four or five parts, usually with strong scents...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
, which includes introduced and native citrus. The eggs will hatch about one week later.
Larva
The early instarInstar
An instar is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each molt , until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or assume a new form. Differences between instars can often be seen in altered body proportions, colors, patterns, or...
s are brown with three white patches, one the: thorax
Thorax
The thorax is a division of an animal's body that lies between the head and the abdomen.-In tetrapods:...
, above the first pair of prolegs, and one on 8th and 9th segment of the abdomen
Abdomen
In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
. It is lined with black and white tubercles. The larva only feed on their food plants, citus. Feeding usually takes place during the day and resting on the upper side of leaves during the night, resembling fresh bird droppings.
The later instars are green with irregular white, yellow or brown markings that run diagonally up/back from the bottom edge of the thorax to the 4th and 6th segments. After about four weeks, the larva may have reached a length of 60mm and be ready to pupate.
The larvae are sometimes parasitised by other parasitic insects. Like other swallowtail butterflies, when disturbed, the caterpillar erects it's bright red osmeterium
Osmeterium
The osmeterium is a fleshy organ found in the prothoracic segment of larvae of Swallowtail butterflies including Birdwings. This organ emits smelly compounds believed to be pheromones. Normally hidden, this forked structure can be everted when the caterpillar is threatened, and used to emit a...
from behind the head, releasing the smell of citrus, to drive predators away.
Pupa
The pupa is colored in crypticCrypsis
In ecology, crypsis is the ability of an organism to avoid observation or detection by other organisms. It may be either a predation strategy or an antipredator adaptation, and methods include camouflage, nocturnality, subterranean lifestyle, transparency, and mimicry...
grey, green or brown, depending on the colour of the stem it is attached to. The chrysalis is fastened to a stem of the host plant by means of a cremaster
Cremaster
Cremaster is a term derived from the Greek verb κρεμάννυμι = "I hang ", not from Latin cremare = "to burn". It may refer to:* The cremaster muscle, part of genital anatomy in human males** Cremaster reflex, a reflex in the muscle...
. A thin girdle of silk keeps the head end of the chrysalis uppermost during pupation. Depending on the season, an imago
Imago
In biology, the imago is the last stage of development of an insect, after the last ecdysis of an incomplete metamorphosis, or after emergence from the pupa where the metamorphosis is complete...
will emerge from the chrysalis, approximately one-six months later.
Larval Foodplants
Although Citrus species are the primary larval foodplants, some other plant species can be eaten by the larvae.Native
- Boronia
- CitrusCitrusCitrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
- ClausenaClausenaClausena is a genus of evergreen plant in the subfamily Aurantioideae within the family Rutaceae, native to Asia and Australia. It was first defined by N.L. Birman in 1768. The type species is Clausena excavata....
- Dinosperma
- EriostemonEriostemonEriostemon is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Rutaceae. It is native to eastern Australia and includes just two species. Eriostemon australasius occurs between Fraser Island and Nowra, and is a shrub of heathlands and low open woodlands. It is also frequently cultivated in...
- FlindersiaFlindersiaFlindersia is a genus of 14 species of tree in the family Rutaceae. They are native to the Moluccas, New Guinea, Australia and New Caledonia.They are cultivated and planted for both timber and as a street tree...
- GeijeraGeijeraGeijera is a genus in the Rutaceae family with approximately 8 species of shrubs and small trees native to Australia, New Guinea and New Caledonia. The one most known to horticulture is G. parviflora, better known as the wilga. Another species, G. paniculata is known as axebreaker, due to its hard...
- HalfordiaHalfordiaHalfordia is a genus of plant in family Rutaceae. It contains the following species :* Halfordia papuana, Laut....
- LeionemaLeionemaLeionema is a genus of more than 20 species of mostly small shrubs in the family Rutaceae, most of which are endemic to eastern Australia....
- Micromelum
- PhilothecaPhilothecaPhilotheca is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Rutaceae. Many plants formerly in Eriostemon are now in this genus....
- ZanthoxylumZanthoxylumZanthoxylum is a genus of about 250 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs in the citrus or rue family, Rutaceae, native to warm temperate and subtropical areas worldwide. Common names include Prickly-ash and Hercules' Club.The fruit of several species are used to make the spice...
- ZieriaZieriaZieria is a genus of plants in the Rutaceae family, all of which are native to Australia except for one species which is found in New Caledonia....
Introduced
- ChoisyaChoisyaChoisya is a small genus of aromatic evergreen shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Members of the genus are commonly known as Mexican Orange or Mock Orange due to the similarity of their flowers with those of the closely related Orange, both in shape and scent...
- CitrusCitrusCitrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
- MurrayaMurrayaThe genus Murraya comprises 12 species in the family Rutaceae, including the Curry Tree. This genus, along with genera Clausena and Glycosmis within the same family, are a major source of carbazole alkaloids. Parts of these trees are used in folk medicine and the leaves of M. koenigii are and...
- Poncirus
- ZanthoxylumZanthoxylumZanthoxylum is a genus of about 250 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs in the citrus or rue family, Rutaceae, native to warm temperate and subtropical areas worldwide. Common names include Prickly-ash and Hercules' Club.The fruit of several species are used to make the spice...
Cited texts
- Braby, Michael F. The Complete Guide to Butterflies of Australia. Corrected edition. Collingwood, VictoriaCollingwood, VictoriaCollingwood is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
: CSIRO PublishingCSIRO PublishingCSIRO PUBLISHING is an Australian-based science and technology publisher. CSIRO PUBLISHING is the publishing branch of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. They cover a range of scientific disciplines including agriculture, chemistry, plant and animal sciences, natural...