Black Swallowtail Comparison & Identification (2024)

FAQs

Black Swallowtail Comparison & Identification? ›

The male black swallowtail has more noticable yellow and less blue on the wings. The female black swallowtail has more blue and less yellow on the wings. red eyespot (red circle with a black bulls-eye) near the margin of each hind wing.

How to Identify Black Swallowtails. This large butterfly has black wings with yellow markings and a wingspan of 8 to 11 centimeters. The male displays a row of bold yellow spots, while the female's spots are faded shades of yellow and blue.

Several members of the Swallowtail family are dark-colored, and have very similar appearances at first glance. These include the Eastern Black Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail, Pipevine Swallowtail, and the dark form of the Tiger Swallowtail.

The upper wings carry key identifiers with the pipevines having no marks on upper wings, spicebushes having a single row of dots, black swallowtails having a double row of dots, and eastern tigers having a line of bars. All the mimics have white on wing edges, in parallel with their dots or bars.

Note the body shape. Monarch caterpillars' body type is consistent in its breadth, while Swallowtail caterpillars are thicker in general, and mass into a “hooded” shape at the head.

The eastern black swallowtail is one of our most common and most studied swallowtails. Although it is admired for its beauty, it is one of the very few butterflies that may occasionally be considered a pest.

Male Tiger Swallowtails generally have darker blacks and none of the bluish and red scales on their hind wings. Interestingly, there is a black morph, where black replaces the broad yellow expanses. The black morphs also have the bluish and red wing scales on their hind wings.

The Spicebush and Dark Eastern Tiger only have white dots along the edges of their wings. The Black Swallowtail has a double row of white dots. The female Black Swallowtail looks a bit like a Pipevine Swallowtail, especially the underside of its wings.

The black swallowtail flies faster than other swallowtails. Life Cycle: The female butterfly lays one yellow egg per host plant. After 4-9 days, a caterpillar (larva) hatches from the egg. Over 10-30 days, the caterpillar grows through 5 different stages (called instars) to a length of 2 inches.

Ranged from left to right are the Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor), Eastern black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes), and the spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus).

What is the moth that looks like a swallowtail? ›

The Epicopeiidae, or the mock swallowtail butterfly moths, is a small but very unique family of moths with about 30 known species. They are only found in the palearctic and oriental parts of Asia, and small parts of Russia.

Light spots are present on the edges of both fore and hindwings, with seven bright orange spots near the edge of wing undersides. White spots fleck the sides of the dark abdomen. Female adult butterfly coloration is similar to males but less shiny. Wingspread is 7–13 cm (2.75–5 in).

They are efficient pollinators and their striking black wings dabbed with yellow and blue are a delightful sight among the flowers. There are hidden benefits too: the caterpillar of the black swallowtail smells bad to predators and helps to deter them from your garden.

Tip: Although it's technically safe to touch or hold a black swallowtail caterpillar, it may not be the best idea. They are very delicate. Additionally, when disturbed, a bright orange, 2-pronged fork will emerge from behind its head.

Range and Life Cycle of the Black Swallowtail

The insect overwinters in is chrysalis stage. In spring, adult butterflies emerge and the females seek out host plants (carrots, dill, parsley, fennel, etc.) on which to lay their eggs, so the newly hatched caterpillars will have a ready food source.

A young caterpillar is black; an older one is green. The caterpillar then creates a chrysalis (pupa) and metamorphosizes into an adult butterfly after 9-18 days. Interesting Facts: The black swallowtail butterfly is the official state butterfly of New Jersey.

Full sun is the necessary component to growing strong plants and attracting butterflies. Food sources (or host plants) for Black Swallowtail larva or caterpillars: parsley, dill and carrot tops (Other larva food sources include Queen Anne's Lace, Fennel and Turnips.)