Attributes of Papilio aristodemus

Schaus' Swallowtail
Papilio aristodemus Esper, 1794
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Identification: Upperside of forewing has narrow central yellow band. Tails edged with yellow, filled with black.
Wing Span: 3 5/8 - 4 5/8 inches (9.2 - 11.8 cm)
Life History: Males patrol in tree canopy for receptive females. Females lay single eggs on top of young host plant leaves. Caterpillars feed on young leaves and shoots. Hibernate as chrysalids, which can remain dormant for up to 2 years. Adult emergence is triggered by rainfall.
Flight: Primary flight from late April to mid-June; some adults fly in late July and early September.
Caterpillar Hosts: Plants in the citrus family (Rutaceae) including Citrus species, hop tree (Ptelea trifoliata), Zanthoxylum spp., and torchwood (Amyris elemifera).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers of cheese-shrub, wild coffee, and guava.
Habitat: Found only in tropical hardwood hammocks and neighboring scrub areas.
Range: North Key Largo and the larger Keys in Biscayne National Monument (subspecies ponceanus), south to the Greater Antilles (other subspecies).
Conservation: Listed in 1984 as Endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act.
NCGR: Subspecies ponceanus has The Nature Conservancy Global Rank of T1 - Critically imperiled globally because of extreme rarity (5 or fewer occurrences, or very few remaining individuals), or because of some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable to extinction. (Critically endangered throughout its range). The species as a whole has The Nature Conservancy Global Rank
Management Needs: For subspecies ponceanus, maintain hardwood hammocks on upper keys, prevent mosquito fogging, and reintroduce to vacant habitats.
Taxonomy Notes:

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The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.

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The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.

Observation Date Submitter Region Verified Datesort icon
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Monroe County, Florida, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Eliott Key County, Florida, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Key Largo County, Florida, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Matecumbe Key County, Florida, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Key West County, Florida, United States December 31, 2004 Details