Swallowtail
Elke Schindler is the winner of our butterfly sponsorship at the 2016 Museum Mile Festival - congratulations!
Like our native swallowtail(Papilio machaon), the butterfly Papilio echerioides belongs to the subfamily Papilioninae.
The distinguishing feature of all species of Papilionidae is the osmaterium of the caterpillar, a fleshy fork on the neck that can be pushed out, which emits an unpleasant odour and is intended to scare off enemies.
The caterpillars feed on plants from the Rutaceae (citrus family) or Apiaceae (umbellifers) and form a free-hanging girdle pupa.