Zebra Swallowtail

  • Family name: Papilionidae/Swallowtails
  • General description: Wings greenish-white with bold black stripes and borders; hindwing with prominent red spot and blue scaling near single extremely long, white-tipped tail. Ventral hindwing as above but with distinctive red median band. Seasonally variable; summer form individuals are larger, darker overall, and have longer hindwing tails than spring individuals.
  • Field Marks: white wings with prominent black stripes; hindwing with very long black tail tipped in white; ventral hindwing with red median stripe
  • Sexes: appear similar
  • Wingspan: 60-90 mm
  • Life Cycle: Egg: light green, spherical, laid singly on host leaves Mature larva: variable; green, green with yellow and bluish transverse stripes, or charcoal with yellow and bluish transverse stripes Chrysalis: brown or green
  • Number of Generations: Three or moreZebra Swallowtail larva
  • Flight Season: February-November
  • Abundance: Common
  • Habitat: Woodlands, forest margins, scrub, waterways, roadsides, and pastures; occasionally gardens
  • Larval Host Plants: Pawpaw (Asimina spp.)
  • Similar Species:
  • Additional Information: Adults have a low, quick, and highly erratic flight. Seldom encountered in urban areas. Range is limited in Pennsylvania, New York, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin.
  • Range in Florida

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