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| Scientific name: Arthropoda: Insecta: Lepidoptera: Papilionidae: Battus philenor Common Name: Pipevine Swallowtail Country: USA Photographer: E. M. Barrows Identifier: E. M. Barrows Bethesda, MD Additional Information: Figure 1. A female Pipevine Swallowtail laying eggs on Four-O`Clock (Mirabilis jalapa). Her body is out of focus because she is flying rapidly among the leaves, touching them with her forelegs and the posterior part of her abdomen. I put her in a cage and gave her a choice of Four-O`Clock leaves and Pipevine leaves as oviposition sites. She laid 47 eggs on the former and 37 eggs on the latter. I put the eggs on each food plant into separate cages. The eggs hatched on both plants, and larvae fed on both plants. However, all of the larvae on the Four-O`Clock died as first instars. About 20 of the larvae on the Pipevine survived as first instars, and some became adults. The mother butterfly evidently laid on the Four-O`Clock by mistake. Figure 2. Eggs on Four-O`Clock. Figure 3. The same female taking nectar from Pentas cv. Pipevine Swallowtails usually vibrate their wings rapidly as they feed as this image illustrates. Figure 4. The same female taking nectar from Impatiens balsamina. E.M.B. |
