Papilio rutulus (Western Tiger Swallowtail, Westlicher Tigerschwalbenschwanz, Machaon de tigre occidental)

Papilio glaucus, also called Western Tiger Swallowtail or Westlicher Tigerschwalbenschwanz is a butterfly from Nearctic ecozone (North America). The first description was in 1852 by Lucas. With a wingspan of 9.0 – 12.0 cm the Western Tiger Swallowtail is a big member of the family PAPILIONIDAE. The butterfly is yellow with typical black tiger stripes.

Photos for easy identification

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

These are nice photos of Papilio rutulus (Western Tiger Swallowtail, Westlicher Tigerschwalbenschwanz, Machaon de tigre occidental). Papilio rutulus is a member of the family PAPILIONIDAE from Nearctic (North America).

Description

The forewings are yellow. The margin is black and include one chain of little yellow spots. There are three black stripes. The veins are dark.
The underside is a copy of upside, but the margin is brighter than upside and the chain of yellow spots is replaced by a yellow line.

The hind wings are yellow. The margin is black and include four big yellow spots. There are one long and one short black stripes. In back there is a red and black eye with blue eye shadow. There is a little blue spot next to the eye.
The underside is a copy of upside, but there are some differences. There is a chain of one red and five yellow spots. There is a blue band in the black margin.

The body is black with yellow stripes.

Sex differences: The female is darker than male.

Distribution

The Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) is a butterfly of the Nearctic ecozone (North America). The distribution extend from the West Coast of USA (Oregon, Idaho, Washington) to Canada (British Columbia).

: This world map shows the ecozones in which this butterfly is distributed.

Larval food

Betulaceae:

Alnus incana
Alnus rhombifolia
Alnus rubra
Alnus viridis
Betula occidentalis
Betula papyrifera

Salicaceae:

Populus angustifolia
Populus balsamifera
Populus tremuloides
Salix babylonica
Salix exigua
Salix hookeriana
Salix lasiolepis
Salix lucida
Salix scouleriana

Rosaceae:

Prunus americana
Prunus caroliniana
Prunus cerasus
Prunus domestica
Prunus emarginata
Prunus ilicifolia
Prunus persica
Prunus virginiana

Ulmaceae:

Ulmus

General information

The first description of this butterfly was in 1852 by Lucas. There are only two subspecies.

Papilio rutulus ammoni [Dyar, 1903]
Papilio rutulus arizonensis [Dyar, 1903]

The caterpillar is green with one black strip. This strip has two fake eyes. The pupa is brown and has a silken girdl.

Protection provisions / Red List

CITES: (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora):

-no entry- (as at 23.06.2005)
EU regulation on trading with species of wild Fauna and Flora

-no entry- (as at 19.08.2005)
IUCN Red List of threatened species:

-no entry- (as at 2004) (see: www.redlist.org/)