Western Giant Swallowtail
Heraclides rumiko
Insecta
COMMON
Stats
- Lifespan
- A few weeks
- Size
- Large
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Social
- Solitary
- Biome
- Tropical forest
- Range
- North America
- Movement
- Flight
- Breeding
- Egg-laying
- Defense
- Warning Colors
- Status
- Common
About
One of the largest butterflies in western North America, the Western Giant Swallowtail sports bold yellow bands slashing across jet-black wings that can span up to 15 cm. Its larvae are master mimics, resembling bird droppings so convincingly that predators pass them by at every stage before pupation.
Life cycle
- 1.eggA tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
- 2.caterpillarA voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
- 3.chrysalisA chrysalis hangs sealed and still while the body remodels into a winged adult.
- 4.butterflyA winged adult with full scales and coloration, ready to fly and mate.
Learn more
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera
- Family
- Papilionidae
- Genus
- Heraclides
- Species
- Heraclides rumiko