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| Palamedes Swallowtail |
Latin
Name: Papilio Palamedes |
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Genus: Papilio Species: Palamedes |
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Comments: |
| The Palamedes is Florida's most commonly encountered swallowtail. Adults have a strong, directed flight and avidly nectar at available blooms. Males often congregate at moist ground to imbibe diluted minerals and salts. The larvae have an enlarged thorax with a prominent pair of false eyespots that resemble the head of a small lizard or snake. |
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Life
Cycle: |
Broods: |
multiple generations |
Egg: |
cream, laid singly on host leaves; new growth preferred |
Larva: |
green above, reddish below with enlarged thorax and two false eyespots |
Host Plants: |
Red Bay, Swamp Bay, Silk Bay |
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Host
Plants: |
Host
Plants: |
Red Bay, Swamp Bay, Silk Bay |
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Habitat: |
Habitat: |
wooded swamps, hammocks, forest edges, suburban gardens, moist woodlands and evergreen swamps |
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Wingspan: |
Inches: |
3.5 - 5.5 |
Centimeters: |
8.9 - 14 |
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Appearance: |
Sexes: |
similar |
Compare: |
Black Swallowtail is smaller and has yellow abdominal spots and a black-centered hindwing eyespot. |
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| Markings: |
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Above:
- black with a broad, postmedian yellow band and a row of marginal yellow spots
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Below:
- hindwing has a band of blue scaling bordered by median and submarginal rows of yellow-orange spots; narrow yellow line near wing base runs parallel to the abdomen, no other black colored swallowtail in Florida has this marking
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Abundance: |
occasional to abundant |
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Map Legend: Resident (green) | Stray
(Red) |
