This butterfly needs no special protective status. Economic Importance for Humans: NegativeĬurrently it does not adversely affect humans. ( Col, 1999 Holland, 1910 Stokes, et al., 1991 Tveten and Tveten, 1996)Įconomic benefits from this species have yet to be discovered. Adults generally eat from taller flowers, because they have a long, flexible "tongue" called a proboscis and can feed from longer, tubed flowers. The adult zebra swallowtail will eat nectar from a variety of flowers. Some larvae will eat other caterpillars found on the same plant. The common food plants for the larvae are the pawpaw and dwarf pawpaw. The zebra swallowtail rarely strays away from the habitats where various species of pawpaw are found. Its flight has been described as bat-like and erratic. The zebra swallowtail flies near the ground using shallow wingbeats. ( Holland, 1910 Parenti, 1972 Tveten and Tveten, 1996) ( Holland, 1910 Parenti, 1972 Tveten and Tveten, 1996)Īn adult Eurytides marcellus butterfly can live up to 6 months in its natural environment. ( Holland, 1910 Parenti, 1972 Tveten and Tveten, 1996)įemale zebra swallowtails lay their eggs singly on the underside of pawpaw leaves. Small aggregations of patrolling males often form close to mud puddles or moist stream banks. Males usually patrol places near host plants searching for females. The chrysalis, or pupa, is attached to a stem or leaf by the tail and by a girdle of silk around the thorax. In the life cycle of the butterfly, it takes about one month for the zebra swallowtail to mature from an egg to an adult. Range wingspan 5 to 9 cm 1.97 to 3.54 in.The first is green with yellow and black bands, and the other is dark brown with orange and white bands. There are two color morphologies of caterpillars. This releases a bad smell that is used as defense mechanism. They have a forked gland called the osmeterium that can protrude from the back of the head if the butterfly is alarmed. The hindwings of both the spring and summer zebra swallowtail have two deep blue spots at the base and a red spot closer to the body.Ĭaterpillars are generally hairless. The summer zebra swallowtail is larger with light blue-green wings, which are crossed by black stripes and bands, and have longer tails. The early spring zebra swallowtail is smaller with pale greenish-white wings which are crossed by black stripes and bands. The color and size varies between spring and summer butterflies. It has long, triangular wings with swordlike tails. The zebra swallowtail butterfly has a wing span of 5-9 cm. The zebra swallowtail prefers corridors of wooded land alongside bodies of water such as riversides, lakeshores, marshes and open moist woods. Eurytides marcellus range throughout the eastern United States, although are most abundant in the southeast.
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