Species Eurytides marcellus - Zebra Swallowtail

Pawpaw butterfly, Kite Swallowtail, (The) Ajax, Black-barred Swallowtail

Eurytides marcellus (Cramer, 1777). A few synonyms:

Members of Eurytides are sometimes listed under genus Graphium, whose other members are in the Old World.

Wingspan 6.4-10.4 cm

Distinctive large black-and-white swallowtail with long tails, unique in almost entire range. Summer flight is darker, form lecontei. (1).

Spring form   -->   summer form (darker):

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Larva "ringed with narrow green, white, blue, yellow and/or black bands...Body widest at leading edge of A1 where body is ringed by tricolored band: blue-white towards thorax, followed by black...followed by yellow." Each abdominal segment also crossed by a yellow ring. (2) Another larval form occurs which is largely black. Young larvae may also be black. Stripes are less prominent in final instar but A1 stripe is still noticeable.

  

Common in Southeastern United States. Rare northward to northeastern, north-central United States, rarely to southern Ontario. Map shows typical range:

  

Partially wooded areas, usually moist.

Two flights, May-August in temperate areas. Flies March to December in subtropical Florida. (1)

Adults take nectar and (males only?) take fluids from damp sand.

Eggs laid singly on host plant. Larvae feed on Pawpaw species, in most of range this is common Pawpaw, Asimina triloba. Illustration(s) of life-cycle:

  

This spectacular butterfly is the only regularly-occurring North American representative of the Neotropical genus Eurytides, or Kite Swallowtails.