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.
Description (Seitz) The wingspan is 70–100 mm.P. anchisiades. A widely distributed variable species. Hindwing posteriorly somewhat prolonged, less triangular; the tail is wanting or is only somewhat longer than the other marginal teeth, yet in the female sometimes as long and pointed as in the following species. The red spots of both the rows of the hindwing on the underside partly contiguous, or at least two pairs placed quite close together. Larva often resting together in hundreds on the stems of citrus. A very common insect, which is fond drinking at moist places on the banks of rivers; not a forest species. — idaeus F. (=pandion Feldr., pandonius Stgr.). Forewing usually with a distinct white spot at the end of the cell above and beneath or only beneath. Central America, from Mexico to Panama. — anchisiades Esp. (= anchises L. partim, theramenes Fldr,, pompeius Kirby) (10d). Very variable. Forewing with two white spots posteriorly of 1. median vein, either on both sides or only beneath, on the underside also a spot before the 1. median, rarely present above, and sometimes one before the 3. radial. In other specimens the white spots are wanting above: the forewing is dark from the base to the apex of the cell and then paler, and has a row of white spots beneath. From Colombia to Para and Bolivia. — capys Hbn. (= evander Godt.) (10c). Forewing without white spots on the upperside; the disc paler, the dark proximal area rounded; on the underside a row of white spots, one of which is placed in the cell. East Bolivia, North Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil.
The larvae feed on various species of the family Rutaceae, including Citrus, Casimiroa, and Zanthoxylum species. The adults feed on flower nectar.
Subspecies Listed alphabetically.
Papilio anchisiades anchisiades – (Venezuela, Colombia to the Guayanas, Peru) Papilio anchisiades capys (Hübner, [1809]) – (Bolivia to Parana, Argentina, Paraguay) Papilio anchisiades idaeus (Fabricius, 1793) – ruby-spotted swallowtail (Texas, Mexico to Panama) Papilio anchisiades lamasi (Brown, 1994) – (Ecuador) Papilio anchisiades philastrius Fruhstorfer, 1915 – (Trinidad)
Taxonomy Papilio anchisiades is the nominotypical member of the anchisiades species group
Papilio anchisiades Esper, 1788 Papilio chiansiades Westwood, 1872 Papilio epenetus Hewitson, 1861 Papilio erostratus Westwood, 1847 Papilio hyppason Cramer, 1775 Papilio isidorus Doubleday, 1846 Papilio oxynius (Geyer, [1827]) Papilio pelaus Fabricius, 1775 Papilio rogeri Boisduval, 1836
Etymology The specific epithet is in the Classical tradition and refers to the GraecoRoman Anchisiades
Gallery
References
Other reading Bauer, Erich and Thomas Frankenbach (1998). Schmetterlinge der Erde, Butterflies of the World Part I (1), Papilionidae Papilionidae I: Papilio, Subgenus Achillides, Bhutanitis, Teinopalpus. Edited by Erich Bauer and Thomas Frankenbach. Keltern: Goecke & Evers; Canterbury: Hillside Books ISBN 9783931374624 Lewis, H. L. (1974). Butterflies of the World ISBN 0-245-52097-X Page 24, figure 9.
External links
Insecta pro Collins, N. Mark; Morris, Michael G. (1985). Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World: The IUCN Red Data Book. Gland & Cambridge: IUCN. ISBN 978-2-88032-603-6 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
