Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada

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Calendar

Upcoming Events

National Moth Week was July 19-27, and the Summer 2025 gathering in Louisiana, July 19-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27


Subspecies Papilio machaon oregonius - Oregon Swallowtail

Representative Images

Western Tiger Swallowtail possibly? - Papilio machaon - male Western Tiger Swallowtail possibly? - Papilio machaon - male Swallowtail - Papilio machaon - male Swallowtail - Papilio machaon - male Papilio 8-20-11 01a - Papilio machaon - male Old World Swallowtail - Papilio machaon
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 machaon (Old World Swallowtail - Hodges#4166)
Subspecies oregonius (Oregon Swallowtail)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Papilio hippocrates var. oregonia W. H. Edwards, 1876. Type locality: The Dalles, Oregon
Papilio oregonius
Papilio bairdii subspecies oregonius

Identification

Distinguised from yellow form P. bairdii by having more extensive yellow, and by more northwesterly distribution. In area of contact the change from one to the other is not well defined, and in that region it is difficult to decice which name to use.

To tell from P. zelicaon see comments under P. bairdii.

Range

Primarily east of Cascades in Upper Columbia River drainage (in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and perhaps a bit into Nevada and California, blends with P. "machaon" bairdii to the east and especially to the south.

Habitat

Mostly desert and grasslands in dry broken terrain below the mountain forests.