Papilio demodocus

Citrus swallowtail
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Papilionidae
Genus:	Papilio
Species:	P. demodocus
Binomial name
Papilio demodocus Esper, 1798[1][2]
Synonyms
Papilio demodocus var. nubila Capronnier, 1881 Papilio demodocus decusdemo Suffert, 1904 Papilio demodocus albicans Suffert, 1904 Papilio demodocus ab. karema Strand, 1911 Papilio demodocus ab. cariei Le Cerf, 1913 Papilio demodocus ab. tessmanni Schultze, 1914 Papilio demodocus ab. conflua Strand, 1914 Papilio demodocus f. epunctatus Le Cerf, 1927 Papilio demodocus demodocus ab. minor Dufrane, 1936 Papilio demodocus demodocus ab. juncta Dufrane, 1936 Papilio demodocus demodocus ab. semijuncta Dufrane, 1936 Papilio demodocus demodocus ab. mathieui Dufrane, 1936 Papilio demodocus demodocus ab. houzeaui Dufrane, 1936 Papilio demodocus f. longsdoni Krüger, 1937 Papilio demodocus f. oblongula Berio, 1941 Papilio demodocus f. viginta Berio, 1941 Papilio demodocus f. adla Berio, 1941 Papilio demodocus demodocus ab. vreuricki Dufrane, 1946 Papilio demodocus demodocus ab. duboisi Dufrane, 1946 Papilio demodocus demodocus ab. aurantiaca Dufrane, 1946 Papilio demodocus demodocus ab. ochrea Dufrane, 1946 Papilio demodocus ab. dufranei Berger, 1950 Papilio demodocus ab. overlaeti Berger, 1950 Papilio demodocus f. confluens Storace, 1963 Papilio demodocus f. bennettoides Storace, 1963 Papilio demodocus f. atromaculatus Storace, 1963 Papilio demodocus f. continua Storace, 1963 Papilio demodocus f. deminuta Storace, 1963 Papilio demodocus f. flavocincta Storace, 1963 Papilio demodocus f. latevittata Storace, 1963 Papilio demodocus f. pseudopraeses Storace, 1963 Papilio demodocus ab. belonota Vári, 1976 Papilio bennetti Dixey, 1898

Papilio demodocus, also known as the citrus swallowtail, is a large swallowtail butterfly common to sub-Saharan Africa. It is a pest species, the caterpillar feeding on citrus trees.

Life cycle

Citrus swallowtails pass through approximately three generations per year. Eggs are laid singly on citrus tree leaves.

Eggs

Female butterflies lay their eggs singly on citrus leaves. After about six days, the egg hatches into an immature larva.

Immature larva

The immature larvae are black, yellow, and white with spikes. Their coloration provides effective camouflage, as they resemble bird droppings. They grow to a length of 10 or 15 mm before changing into mature larvae.

Mature larva

Mature larvae are green with white or pink markings and eyespots. They grow to a maximum length of about 45 mm.

Mature caterpillars lack the camouflage of their immature state. Instead, when threatened by a bird or other predator, they produce a forked, orange-coloured organ known as an osmeterium. The organ emits a strong smell which acts as a discouragement to the predator.

Pupa

The caterpillars attach themselves to branches with silk, transforming into pupae. They remain in the pupal form for 2–3 weeks before emerging as adults.

Adult

Royal Mile, Budongo W. Uganda

Nungwi, Zanzibar

Adult butterflies have black and yellow markings with red and blue eyespots. Female butterflies tend to be larger than males.

Natural enemies

Citrus swallowtail eggs and pupae are known to be parasitised by certain species of parasitic wasp, notably Ooencyrtus (eggs) and Pteromalus puparum (pupae).

Subspecies

• Papilio demodocus demodocus (Sub-Saharan Africa)
• Papilio demodocus bennetti Dixey, 1898 (Socotra)

References

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