The underside of the wings has two rows of pale yellow spots on the edges of the front wings and bands of orange spots separated by pale blue on the hind wings. Both male and female black swallowtails have distinctive markings on the undersides of the wings and the characteristic tail. The yellow spots are typically large and bright and the blue not very prominent on males, while females have smaller and lighter colored yellow spots but a prominent blue area (although some males have markings similar to females) – this difference is called sexual dimorphism. Red eyespot (red circle with a black bulls-eye) near the margin of each hind wing. On the upper surface there are two rows of yellow spots along the edges, with a powdery iridescent blue area between the two rows and a The female black swallowtail has more blue and less yellow on the wings. The wings are black with yellow, blue, orange and red markings. Females tend to be larger than the males, with a wingspan of 3¼ to 4¼ inches. The male black swallowtail has more noticable yellow and less blue on the wings.Īdult black swallowtails are usually found in open areas, such as fields, meadows, parks, wetlands, prairies and sunny backyards. It has been designated as the state butterfly of Oklahoma. There are several subspecies that occur in Mexico, Central America and South America. It ranges from southern Canada to northern South America, but is most common east of the Rocky Mountains. Papilio polyxenes is one of many species in the largest genus in the butterfly family Papilionidae (swallowtails). The black swallowtail – also called the eastern black swallowtail or American swallowtail and a variety of other colloquial names such as parsley worm – is a common butterfly found throughout much of North America. They act as a pollinator as a food source for other species and are an important indicator of a healthy ecosystem.Black swallow tail is a common butterfly throughout eastern North America. The informed support of habitat owners is the butterflies best protection, but general community interest is also vital.īutterflies are not only a beautiful insect but play a number of roles in the environment. The owners and managers of the butterfly's habitat are the first and most important community group. As the purple copper butterfly was first described by scientists only recently (1978), there are significant information gaps in the areas of population dynamics, habitat requirements, nature of the relationship with and ecology of the attendant ant, and fire ecology.Ĭommunity awareness and involvement is one of the key priorities in the purple copper butterfly recovery effort. ConservationĬonserving the purple copper butterfly and its habitat will require more information on the butterfly and a good deal of involvement from the local community. When fully grown, the larvae return to the ants' nest to pupate from January until the butterflies emerge between August and November (later at high altitudes). The ants' efforts are rewarded with a sugary honeydew from a gland on the larvae's backs. As the larvae hatch and mature, the attendant ants keep them underground in their nest during the day, shepherding them out at night to continue grazing on the blackthorn leaves. During the 14 to 17 days they take to hatch, the attendant ants constantly patrol the blackthorn. The butterfly's life cycle relies on a 'mutualistic' relationship with the ant Anonychomyrma itinerans, and on the presence of blackthorn.Īfter mating, the female lays her eggs on blackthorn bushes or adjacent debris near nests of the attendant ants. The purple copper butterfly feeds exclusively on a form of blackthorn ( Bursaria spinosa subspecies lasiophylla). Larvae can be found crawling up blackthorn stems and feeding on the leaves from 10pm to 5am between November and January. Adults usually fly on warm cloudless days in September, around the middle of the day (10am to 3pm). Females fly less rapidly and tend to stay closer to the host plant. Its black antennae are dotted with white spots, and terminate with a black tip.Īdult males fly rapidly at about 1 metre from the ground and rest in the sun with their wings parted. The undersides of its wings are patterned with subtle brown, black, and grey. The upper sides of its wings are black or deep brown, with a bronze or green iridescence when they're sunning. The purple copper butterfly ( Paralucia spinifera) is a small butterfly with a thick body, and a wingspan of only 20-30 millimetres. Its habitat is restricted to elevations above 900 metres. The purple copper butterfly is only found in the Central Tablelands of NSW. It is also known as the Bathurst copper butterfly. The purple copper butterfly is one of Australia's rarest butterfly species.
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