Summary ⁴

The Anise Swallowtail, Papilio zelicaon, is a common swallowtail butterfly of western North America. Both the upper and lower sides of its wings are black, but the upper wing has a broad yellow stripe across it, which gives the butterfly an overall yellow appearance. There are striking blue spots on the rear edge of the rear wing, and the characteristic tails of the swallowtails. Its wingspan is 7–9 cm. Its body is somewhat shorter than the rather...

Habitat ⁵

Occurs in a wide variety of habitats, from alpine meadows to grasslands and forest clearings.

Conservation status ⁶

Not of concern.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Peter Prehn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/70414856@N00/2665803331
2. (c) 2014 John Game, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=606399&one=T
3. (c) Phil Myers, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/phil_myers/lepidoptera/Papilionidae/Papilio2818/medium.jpg
4. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio_zelicaon
5. (c) University of Alberta Museums, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/31884870
6. (c) University of Alberta Museums, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/31884866

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• BugGuide
• Butterflies and Moths of North America
• CalPhotos
• CUIC Insect Images
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• Moth Photographers Group
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• Pacific Northwest Moths

Range Map

(c) Discover Life and original sources, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-SA)

iNat Map