Attributes of Papilio indra

Indra Swallowtail
Papilio indra Reakirt, 1866

Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Identification: Abdomen is all black, or black with a yellow dash on the side of the rear. Wings are mostly black with pale yellow markings. Tails are very short on most subspecies.
Wing Span: 2 1/2 - 3 inches (6.2 - 7.2 cm).
Life History: Males watch from rocky areas below tops of hills or mesas for receptive females. Females lay eggs singly on top of host plant leaves or on flowers. Caterpillars feed on the edges of leaves and hide at the base of plants. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: One flight, with occasional late-flying individuals of desert populations, March-August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Aromatic herbs of the parsley family (Apiaceae) growing among rocks.
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Mountains, desert mountains, and canyons.
Range: Southern California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico north to South Dakota, west to Washington.
Conservation: Several subspecies occur entirely or primarily on Federal lands. These include kaibabensis (Grand Canyon National Park), minori (Colorado National Monument and B.L.M.), panamintensis (Death Valley National Monument), and martini (Mojave Desert National Preserve).
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Prevent removal of caterpillar host plants from public lands. Limit collection by permits.
Taxonomy Notes:

Images of Papilio indra

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Papilio indra - papilio_indra_utwestdesert_caterpillar1_raisingbutterflies.jpg

Papilio indra - papilio_indra_utwestdesert_caterpillar1_raisingbutterflies.jpg
Papilio indra - papilio_indra_utwestdesert_egg_raisingbutterflies.jpg

Papilio indra - papilio_indra_utwestdesert_egg_raisingbutterflies.jpg
Papilio indra - papilio_indra_minori_egg_raisingbutterflies.jpg

Papilio indra - papilio_indra_minori_egg_raisingbutterflies.jpg
Papilio indra - papilio_indra_minori_caterpillar1_raisingbutterflies.jpg

Papilio indra - papilio_indra_minori_caterpillar1_raisingbutterflies.jpg
Papilio indra - papilio_indra_minori_caterpillar2_raisingbutterflies.jpg

Papilio indra - papilio_indra_minori_caterpillar2_raisingbutterflies.jpg
Papilio indra - papilio_indra_minori_caterpillar4_raisingbutterflies.jpg

Papilio indra - papilio_indra_minori_caterpillar4_raisingbutterflies.jpg
Papilio indra - papilio_indra_phyllisae_caterpillar3_raisingbutterflies.jpg

Papilio indra - papilio_indra_phyllisae_caterpillar3_raisingbutterflies.jpg
Papilio indra - papilio_indra_phyllisae_caterpillar4_raisingbutterflies.jpg

Papilio indra - papilio_indra_phyllisae_caterpillar4_raisingbutterflies.jpg
Papilio indra - papilio_indra_nrmartini_pupa_raisingbutterflies.jpg

Papilio indra - papilio_indra_nrmartini_pupa_raisingbutterflies.jpg
Papilio indra - papilio_indra_nrmartini_caterpillar5_raisingbutterflies.jpg

Papilio indra - papilio_indra_nrmartini_caterpillar5_raisingbutterflies.jpg
Papilio indra - papilio_indra_fordi_caterpillar5_raisingbutterflies.jpg

Papilio indra - papilio_indra_fordi_caterpillar5_raisingbutterflies.jpg
Papilio indra - Papilio_indraKarstens.jpg

Papilio indra - Papilio_indraKarstens.jpg














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 200 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
May 19, 2011 AJBrumble Valley County, Idaho, United States January 29, 2012 Details
May 25, 2009 RaisingButterflies.org Millard County, Utah, United States August 10, 2011 Details
July 17, 2007 RaisingButterflies.org Mono County, California, United States August 10, 2011 Details
April 29, 2005 RaisingButterflies.org Clark County, Nevada, United States August 10, 2011 Details
May 23, 2008 RaisingButterflies.org Grand County, Utah, United States August 10, 2011 Details
May 23, 2008 RaisingButterflies.org Grand County, Utah, United States August 10, 2011 Details
April 16, 2005 RaisingButterflies.org San Bernardino County, California, United States August 10, 2011 Details
May 29, 2010 legacy.reporter (Robert Warner) San Bernardino County, California, United States May 01, 2011 Details
June 19, 1971 legacy.reporter (Jim Brock) Mono County, California, United States May 01, 2011 Details
June 03, 2007 legacy.reporter (Jim Brock) Inyo County, California, United States May 01, 2011 Details
March 21, 1984 legacy.reporter (Jim Brock) San Diego County, California, United States May 01, 2011 Details
June 09, 1977 legacy.reporter (Jim Brock) San Diego County, California, United States May 01, 2011 Details
June 20, 1986 legacy.reporter (unknown) Alpine County, California, United States May 01, 2011 Details
May 14, 1983 legacy.reporter (unknown) Napa County, California, United States May 01, 2011 Details
May 02, 1990 legacy.reporter (unknown) San Diego County, California, United States May 01, 2011 Details
April 06, 2002 legacy.reporter (John G. Pasko) Inyo County, California, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 02, 2011 legacy.reporter (Paul Levine) Kern County, California, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 02, 2011 legacy.reporter (Fred Heath) Kern County, California, United States May 01, 2011 Details
May 01, 2011 legacy.reporter (David Horner) Los Angeles County, California, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 23, 2011 legacy.reporter (Paul Johnson) Tulare County, California, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 02, 2011 Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport) Tulare County, California, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 02, 2011 Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport) Tulare County, California, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 03, 2011 legacy.reporter (Darin Andrade) Tulare County, California, United States May 01, 2011 Details
July 03, 2010 Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport) Tulare County, California, United States December 31, 2010 Details
July 17, 2010 Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport) Kern County, California, United States December 31, 2010 Details
August 14, 2010 Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport) Tulare County, California, United States December 31, 2010 Details
July 03, 2010 Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport) Tulare County, California, United States December 31, 2010 Details
July 17, 2010 Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport) Kern County, California, United States December 31, 2010 Details
August 14, 2010 Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport) Tulare County, California, United States December 31, 2010 Details
July 03, 2010 Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport) Tulare County, California, United States December 31, 2010 Details
July 17, 2010 Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport) Kern County, California, United States December 31, 2010 Details
August 14, 2010 Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport) Tulare County, California, United States December 31, 2010 Details
July 10, 1989 legacy.reporter (Laurence Crabtree) Butte County, California, United States August 02, 2010 Details
June 06, 1983 legacy.reporter (John F. Emmel) Riverside County, California, United States April 02, 2010 Details
March 29, 1982 legacy.reporter (John F. Emmel) San Bernardino County, California, United States March 09, 2010 Details
February 23, 1981 legacy.reporter (Wayne Dawes) San Bernardino County, California, United States March 09, 2010 Details
June 18, 1981 legacy.reporter (James R. Mori) Alpine County, California, United States March 09, 2010 Details
June 18, 1978 legacy.reporter (S. Dvorak) Inyo County, California, United States March 09, 2010 Details
June 18, 1978 legacy.reporter (Stan Dvorak) Inyo County, California, United States March 09, 2010 Details
April 27, 2001 legacy.reporter (Lynn & Gene Monroe) San Diego County, California, United States March 09, 2010 Details
May 28, 1979 legacy.reporter (Wayne Dawes) San Bernardino County, California, United States March 09, 2010 Details
May 01, 1982 legacy.reporter (R. S. Townsend) Shasta County, California, United States March 09, 2010 Details
April 14, 1980 legacy.reporter (Ken Hansen) Shasta County, California, United States March 09, 2010 Details
May 05, 1982 legacy.reporter (R. S. Townsend) Shasta County, California, United States March 09, 2010 Details
May 14, 1985 legacy.reporter (R. S. Townsend) Shasta County, California, United States March 09, 2010 Details
June 08, 1980 legacy.reporter (R. S. Townsend) Shasta County, California, United States March 09, 2010 Details
May 02, 1976 legacy.reporter (R. S. Townsend) Shasta County, California, United States March 09, 2010 Details
April 18, 1978 legacy.reporter (R. S. Townsend) Shasta County, California, United States March 09, 2010 Details
April 14, 1926 legacy.reporter (Chris Henne) Shasta County, California, United States March 09, 2010 Details
May 05, 1941 legacy.reporter (M. L. Walton) Shasta County, California, United States March 09, 2010 Details