Swallowtail butterfly

family of insects

Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies which form the family Papilionidae. There are at least 550 species, and though the majority are tropical, members of the family are found on all continents except Antarctica. The family includes the largest butterflies in the world, the birdwing butterflies of Australia (genus Ornithoptera).[1]

Swallowtail butterfly
Western Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio rutulus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
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Papilionidae

Latreille, 1802
Type species
Papilio machaon
(Old World Swallowtail)
Subfamilies and genera

There are 26 genera and about 605 species:

  • Subfamily Baroniinae
    • Baronia
  • Subfamily Parnassiinae
    • Allancastria
    • Archon
    • Bhutanitis
    • Hypermnestra
    • Luehdorfia
    • Parnassius
    • Sericinus
  • Subfamily Papilioninae
    • Atrophaneura
    • Battus
    • Byasa
    • Chilasa
    • Cressida
    • Euryades
    • Eurytides
    • Graphium
    • Iphiclides
    • Lamproptera
    • Losaria
    • Meandrusa
    • Mimoides
    • Ornithoptera
    • Pachliopta
    • Papilio
    • Parides
    • Pharmacophagus
    • Protesilaus
    • Protographium
    • Teinopalpus
    • Trogonoptera
    • Troides

References