#papilionoidae

📍 Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina 🗓 Date: April 21, 2025 🐾 Media: Image 🌿 Species: Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis ssp. astyanax) 📝 Notes: Medium-to-large butterfly often found in woodlands, forest edges, and riparian corridors. Dark, iridescent blue-black wings with subtle structural sheen and a row of orange-red spots along the hindwings. Underside resembles tree bark, providing strong camouflage when at rest.

Despite its name, it is not a true purple swallowtail but a mimic of toxic pipevine swallowtails, gaining protection through resemblance.

Just emerged from chrysalis attatched to lamppost.

A teeny tiny Cairns birdwing caterpillar trying to threaten me with its osmeterium (the forked tongue on its forehead).

Ornithoptera / Troides euphorion, “Cairns Birdwing”

✤ Index Entry - Catopsilia pomona, “Lemon Migrant”

Taxonomy: Superfamily Papilionoidea; Family Pieridae; Subfamily Colladinae; Genus Catopsilia

Food Plant/s: Native Australian species within the Caesalpiniaceae family (Genus Cassia and Senna)

Lepidoptera study - 29/12/20 - Cethosia cydippe, “Red Lacewing” Superfamily Papilionoidea; Family Nymphalidae; Subfamily Heliconiinae

The caterpillars and chrysalis can be found in the source below. The caterpillars are basically just spikey monarchs.

The caterpillars feed on various vines from the Passifloraceae “Passionfruit” family:

Adenia heterophylla “Lacewing Vine”

Passiflora aurantioides “Queensland Passionfruit”

Outside Australia this species is found in:

Java

New Guinea

𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝒆𝒖𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒏

A.K.A Ornithoptera euphorion, “Cairns Birdwing”

Order Lepidoptera Superfamily Papilionoidea Family Papilionidae “Swallowtails, Birdwings”

The Adult butterfly is pictured above, though I couldn’t get a good shot of the upper wing patterns. You can find a clearer image in the source below. The butterfly’s colors and patterns change with the sexes as well. It’s wing span is 15 CM in females, and 12.5 CM in males.

The Pupae, Like other Swallowtails, are attached to a branch/twig by a small thread. 

The Larval stage is pictured above. It’s quite a large caterpillar, though I cannot find an exact size online. The final instars are big enough to fit quite comfortably in the palm of hand.

The larvae feeds on a variety of plants, including:

Aristolochia indica “Indian Birthwort”

Aristolochia praevenosa “Richmond Butterfly Vine”

Aristolochia tagala “Birthwort”

Pararistolochia deltantha “Mountain Aristolochia” 

(First instars only) Aristolochia littoralis “Elegant Dutchman’s Pipe”

This species occurs in North Queensland, between Cooktown and Mackay.

Index Entry - 10/01/21 - Yoma sabina, “The Lurcher”

Not to be confused with Cupha prosope! They look quite similar.

Taxonomy: Superfamily Papilionoidea; Family Nymphalidae; Subfamily Nymphalinae

Food plant/s: Dipteracanthus species “Australian Native Petunias”

Occupation/Territory: Australia (North QLD, NT), Java, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vanuatu.

Sex differences: The males have very similar patterns to the females, however they lack the false eyes, have a small orange band at the tip of the forewing, and are much darker in colour.

Caterpillar description: (Placeholder image) The caterpillar is very similar in appearance to Doleschallia bisaltide, Being black, covered in branched spikes all the way down the body, two on its head resembling horns, red/orange spots on the side, and white markings. The main difference between the species, is that Yoma sabina has white lines down the back, instead of spots.

Pupae description: (Placeholder image) The pupae is also similar in shape and size to Doleschallia bisaltide, however it is angular, and has many blunt spikes.

Lepidoptera study - 03/01/21 - Famegana alsulus, “Black-Spotted Grass Blue”

Taxonomy: Superfamily Papilionoidea; Family Lycaenidae; Subfamily Polyommatinae; Tribe Polyommatini

The Caterpillar has yet to be photographed, but is green with a purple dorsal line bordered by wiggly yellow and purple lines. The last segment having a pair of white eversible tentacles

The food plants are buds and flowers of various plants, including Cajanus pubescens “Furry PidgeonPea”, Cajanus acutifolius “Acute PidgeonPea”, and Indigofera pratensis “Forest Indigo”.

The ants that attend this caterpillar are small and black.

This species is found in QLD, NSW, SA, WA, and NT. Outside Australia: Hong Kong, Laos, and Thailand.

Old study 22/09/20 A study from September filled with anecdotes about the first Birdwing caterpillar I had found. These photos also give good scale as to just how gigantic the caterpillar is. BTW, the video I’m referring to seems to be gone... It’d be on my computer somewhere, but it ain’t on Tumblr no more.

Main entry, 24/12/20

“Lepidoptera study - 22/09/20

Troides priamus, or the Cairns’ birdwing.

One of the most well-known butterflies in Australia, the caterpillar is a lot less familiar. I hope this post sheds some light in things.

This caterpillar is a late instar, though I’m not sure how far they are from pupating. Unlike other caterpillars, these birdwings are big and fat (I love their chubby prolegs,,).

The caterpillar also has retractable orange horns (see in first video). These horns pop out when the caterpillar feels threatened. Very strange… A big fat caterpillar is already threatening to me if I were an insect, I don’t think orange horns would do much.

Those orange horns are called “Osmeterium”, and when ejected, they excrete a fetid terpene-based compound. It’s basically a stinky acidic tongue. Along with that, Papilionidae also eat toxic plants, which can make them unappealing to predators.