Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Butterflies and Skippers (Papilionoidea) » Swallowtails, Parnassians (Papilionidae) » Papilioninae » Fluted Swallowtails (Papilionini) » Papilio » Black Swallowtail - Hodges#4159 (Papilio polyxenes) » Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes asterius)

Subspecies Papilio polyxenes asterius - Black Swallowtail

curious about chrysalis... - Papilio polyxenes Eastern Black Swallowtail chrysalis - Papilio polyxenes Black Swallowtail Caterpillar - Papilio polyxenes Black swallowtail 1st instar caterpillar - Papilio polyxenes Black Swallowtail - 4th instar - Papilio polyxenes Black Swallowtail - Papilio polyxenes - female Yellow Black and White Caterpillar - Papilio polyxenes Papilio polyxenes? - Papilio polyxenes - female
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Papilionoidea (Butterflies and Skippers)
Family Papilionidae (Swallowtails, Parnassians)
Subfamily Papilioninae
Tribe Papilionini (Fluted Swallowtails)
Genus Papilio
Species polyxenes (Black Swallowtail - Hodges#4159)
Subspecies asterius (Black Swallowtail)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Papilio polyxenes asterius Stoll, 1782
Remarks
See species page for general information.

This is the subspecies found over most of North America eastward from the Rocky Mountains. It is replaced in the Desert Southwest by ssp. coloro with which it apparently intergrades, and westward from the Rockies to the Pacific Coast by Papilio zelicaon with which it sometimes hybridizes.
Adults are nearly always predominantly black, and individuals with reduced yellow markings (especially females) are common. Occasional individuals may turn up anywhere that are predominantly yellow (and look much like yellow form ssp. coloro and P. zelicaon), but they are rare.
There are other, mostly very different looking subspecies found south beyond the United States to as far as Ecuador and Peru (perhaps further south?).
The subspecies polyxenes was described from Cuba. It is said by some to be extinct, and looked a LOT like subspecies asterius. Subspecies asterius is the one apparently still found there.
Internet References
Papilio polyxenes asterius at Butterflies of America
Contributed by David J. Ferguson on 3 July, 2009 - 10:15am
Additional contributions by Hannah Nendick-Mason, Harsi S. Parker
Last updated 18 January, 2013 - 3:02pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo