Canadian Tiger Swallowtail
by Maciek Froncisz
Title
Canadian Tiger Swallowtail
Artist
Maciek Froncisz
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Canadian Tiger Swallowtail
Scientific Name: Papilio Canadensis
Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Mandibulata Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera Family: Papilionidae Genus: Papilio
Description:
Adult wingspan is 53–90mm. Adults (butterflies) are yellow with thick black bands coming down from the top of the forewing and some black lines/veins across the hind wings. There are thick black bands along the edge of both the forewing and hind wing, with yellow spots along the forewing and yellow and orange spots on the jagged hind wing. There is a softer band of blue patches on the hind wing. Near the bottom of the hind wing is an extension that, when you look at both wings together, resemble the long, forked tails of some swallows.
Young (larvae/caterpillars), when immature, are brown and white and resemble bird droppings. Older caterpillars are large and green. Their body is fatter just behind the head and has two yellowish spots that look like eyes and a yellow band farther back, giving the impression of a much larger head, which is thought to deter predators.
Similar Species: Eastern tiger swallowtail (P. glaucus) is often (though not always) larger, and the underside of the forewing has yellow sections along the inner margin, rather than a continuous yellow band along the inner margin on the Canadian tiger swallowtail (plus a narrower margin – anal margin – along…); western tiger swallowtail (P. rutulus); pale swallowtail (P. eurymedon) are paler with thicker black banding; the two-tailed swallowtail (P. multicaudata) has two tails on each hind wing.
Range: This butterfly is found in most provinces and territories in Canada, as its name implies. Its range extends north of the Arctic Circle in Yukon, and to Churchill in Manitoba, Little Shagamu River in Ontario, and to Schefferville in Quebec. It has not been reported from Labrador but has been seen in western Newfoundland. It is seen in the northern-third of the United States. Within this range it is a very common and well known butterfly, even more so around woodland edges. It is one of the most popular puddling species and often hundreds will gather at a single puddle.
Habitat: Open woodlands and forests, roadsides and gardens near treed areas; areas north of the treeline including stunted trees and dwarf willows.
Diet: Adults (butterflies) drink flower nectar from blooms with open or deep flowers and from mud puddles (obtaining minerals from damp ground). Young (larvae/caterpillars) feed on leaves of willow (Salix spp.), cherry (Prunus spp.), poplar (Populus spp.), ash (Fraxinus spp.) and birch (Betula spp.).
Behaviour:
These butterflies are one of the more common species that are found mud puddling (drinking in minerals from damp ground). It is thought that only males lose sodium and need to replenish.
Osmeteria, found only in swallowtails, is a fleshy part that protrudes when disturbed and has a bad smell, likely a defence against ants and other predators. They drink with their proboscises—long, thin, coiled mouthparts common to butterflies and moths. It is coiled up between feedings.
Primary Ecosystem Roles:
Pollinator (Their pollination services come into play as pollen gets on their legs and bodywhen they land and drink, helping the transfer of pollen from flower to flower.)
Uploaded
June 17th, 2014
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