Swallowtail

Papilio machaon Linnaeus, 1758

Status

Description

A large yellow butterfly with black markings, and a medium length tail on the hindwing. There is a dark patch in the basal area of the wing. The antennae are black and hooked. Male and female are very similar. The wing shape is quite distinctive though could be confused with P. alexanor, which has a straight, white-tipped antennal club, and the black markings are stripes, without a black basal patch. The submarginal black stripe is narrower and without scalloping.

Habitat Requirements

Found in a wide range of open habitats, e.g. gardens, grasslands, maquis and riverine environments.

Larval Foodplants

Dill Anethum graveolens, Chervil Anthriscus cerefolium - not on Corfu, Coriander Coriandrum sativum, Fennel Foeniculum vulgare, Kumquat Citrus japonica (introduced) Lemon Citrus x limon (introduced) Grapefruit Citrus x paradisi (introduced) Orange Citrus x sinensis (introduced) Lime Citrus x aurantiifolia (introduced). Most commonly encountered on Fennel in Corfu.

Observations

Most frequently encountered nectaring, where the butterfly supports its weight with continuous flight above the flower. Usually seen as singletons, it is particularily easy to photograph/video on blooms of the Aromatic Inula Dittrichia vicosa, in the autumn.

*The information provided in the tables below is based on verified sightings of the Swallowtail submitted via this website since 1st January 2021.

First and Last Sightings

Year First Last/latest # Days
2023 15/02/2023 18/09/2023 215 days
2022 20/03/2022 16/10/2022 210 days
2021 07/03/2021 25/10/2021 232 days

Number of Observations

Year Number of observations
2023 128
2022 168
2021 94
Grand Total 391

Distribution Map

Distribution maps for this species are currently unavailable.

Flight Times for the Swallowtail (2023)

The chart below shows flight data by month for 2023 submitted online since 1st January 2023 to 22nd September 2023.

Flight Times for the Swallowtail (All Data)

The chart below shows flight data by month based on all data submitted online since 1st January 2019 to 22nd September 2023.

Taxonomy

  • Vernacular/Common Name: Swallowtail
  • Family: Papilionidae (Latreille, 1802)
  • Sub-family: Papilioninae (Latreille, [1802])
  • Tribe: Papilionini (Latreille, [1802])
  • Genus: Papilio (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Species: machaon Linnaeus, 1758

References

For a list of references, please see our bibliography page.