Unknown (to me) Papilio species. P. glaucus hybrid? P.canadensis? - Papilio canadensis

Papilio canadensis "fletcheri" - Moved

Moved from Papilio.

… Roy Cohutta Brown, 4 November, 2020 - 8:02am

canadensis

Hi Brian, very cool aberrant. I actually collect aberrant butterflies, would you be willing to trade or sell this one? Thanks, -Alex
(Bicaliber@gmail.com)

… Alex Bic, 20 August, 2014 - 11:49pm

This is an aberrant glaucus o

This is an aberrant glaucus or glaucus/canadensis hybrid (you live in the hybrid zone in Michigan). It closely resembles the "fletcheri" form, see link below

http://lepidoptera.jcmdi.com/u/abby/Papilio%20canadensis%20fletcheri%20%28Alex%20Bic%29.html

This is not a separate species, or hybrid with the zebra swallowtail or eastern black swallowtail.

… Xi Wang, 27 April, 2014 - 1:08am

Link

Papilio canadensis f. "fletcheri"

… Bill Reynolds, 23 April, 2019 - 10:29am

Pictured above P. canadensis f. "fletcheri"

This type of mutation/aberration, although rare, has been documented with some frequency in P. canadensis (f. fletcheri) with similar anomalies also known to occur in several other Tiger Swallowtail species (incl. glaucus, multicaudatus and rutulus)

Nice Article with similar anomalies
Aberrant Tiger Swallowtails

In Papilio canadensis, this phenotype is known as “fletcheri”
Another example here on BG of a dark mutation (also likely canadensis f. "fletcheri" - in this case looks to be a female)

Internet searches also produce images of multicaudatus, rutulus and glaucus with similar dark margins and fusion of pattern clearly divergent from the typical dark forms of the female glaucus (+maynardi), alexiares (+garcia) and appalachiensis.

… Bill Reynolds, 23 April, 2019 - 10:26am

It is beautiful

Do you have any other views of it? It might help to see the under side, and I can't tell gender from this photo (female?). It is likely just a mutant / aberrant specimen. It could be that the genes for dark coloring (i.e. dark form females) got turned on improperly; perhaps it is gender confused and part male / part female. A shock to the pupa at a critical time (such as exposure to unusual cold or heat) might cause something like this. It could be a hybrid if you have both Eastern Tigers and Canadian Tigers in the area. Such a hybrid might be more likely to express the dark form genes improperly. Yet another posibility (though I don't know if it is truly possible) is a Tiger Swallowtail crossed with a Black Swallowtail. I don't know if this last cross can make viable offspring, but if so it might help explain some of the weirdness in the pattern.

I don't think a Zebra Swallowtail could be involved. That species is absent from that area (or at best very rare ?), and I'm quite sure that it is not closely enough related to produce hybrids with Tiger Swallowtails.

If it is a pure species and not a hybrid, I'm not even sure which species it is. The shape looks most like a Canadian Tiger Swallowtail to me, but the dark coloring would be much more likely in an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.

… David J. Ferguson, 22 July, 2013 - 12:32pm

More INFO

Nice Article with similar anomalies
Aberrant Tiger Swallowtails

In Papilio canadensis, this phenotype is known as “fletcheri”
Another example here on BG of a dark mutation (also likely canadensis f. "fletcheri" - in this case looks to be a female)

… Bill Reynolds, 23 April, 2019 - 10:34am

Zebra X Tiger ?

Zebra X Tiger ? What an attractive butterfly !

… Henry Burton, 13 June, 2013 - 2:02pm