A large yellow butterfly with four black stripes on the forewing, and a medium length tail on the hindwing. The antennae club is straight and white tipped. Male and female are usually very similar but males may be more intensely coloured than females, as well as being considereably smaller than females. The wing shape is quite distinctive, though could be confused with I. podalirius, which is somewhat paler in colour, with a long, white-tipped tail, and six black stripes on the forewing. It also resembles P. machaon, which has a scalloped submarginal black band, and the antennae are black and hooked.
Hilly country, with hot dry slopes and therefore mostly restricted to the northern uplands of Corfu.
Ammoides pusilla (white flowers) Dill Anethum graveolens, Chervil Anthriscus cerefolium - not on Corfu, Coriander Coriandrum sativum, Giant Fennel Ferula communis, Fennel Foeniculum vulgare, Opopanax chironium (yellow flowers), Opopanax hispidus (yellow flowers), Scaligeria napiformis, Upright Hedge-parsley Torilis japonica, Knotted Hedge-parsley Torilis nodosa.
The least common of Corfu's three Swallowtail species. This butterfly engages in elabroate aerial courtships and takes nectar from Scabious and Thistles.
It is the adult of this species, set on a backdrop of a green Corfu, that is shown in our Corfu Butterfly Conservation icon/symbol.
*The information provided in the tables below is based on verified sightings of the Southern Swallowtail submitted via this website since 1st January 2021.
Year | First | Last/latest | # Days |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | 28/04/2022 | 15/05/2022 | 17 days |
2021 | 08/05/2021 | 21/06/2021 | 44 days |
Year | Number of observations |
---|---|
2022 | 82 |
2021 | 228 |
Grand Total | 310 |
Distribution map for the Southern Swallowtail based on the data submitted online via this website will be available below soon.
The chart below shows Southern Swallowtail flight data by month for 2022 submitted online since 1st January 2022 to 17th May 2022.
The chart below shows Southern Swallowtail flight data by month based on all data submitted online since 1st January 2019 to 17th May 2022.
For a list of references, please see our bibliography page.