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.
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 193 - 216 of 495 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 03, 1972
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Michael J. Smith)
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: Jun 16, 1972
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Paul Tuskes)
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: Jul 01, 1971
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (James R. Mori)
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: Mar 24, 1970
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (John F. Emmel, O. Shields)
Region: Napa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: Apr 06, 1969
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (D. Willis)
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: Mar 26, 1969
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (John F. Emmel, O. Shields)
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: Apr 04, 1969
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (D. Willis)
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: Apr 24, 1965
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Richard Breedlove)
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: May 15, 1965
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (John Lane)
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: May 09, 1964
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (John & Tom Emmel)
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: May 28, 1965
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (John & Tom Emmel)
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: May 09, 1964
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (John & Tom Emmel)
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: Apr 05, 1934
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (unknown)
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 06, 2010
Observation date: May 05, 1963
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Stan Dvorak)
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: May 05, 1963
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Stan Dvorak)
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: Mar 13, 1963
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Jerry Powell)
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: Jun 07, 1951
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Lloyd Martin)
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: Jul 02, 1979
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (J. Emmel & O. Shields)
Region: Inyo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: Jun 15, 1974
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (John F. Emmel)
Region: Inyo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: May 25, 1974
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (James Wells)
Region: Inyo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: Jun 16, 1974
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (John F. Emmel)
Region: Inyo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: May 27, 1974
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (John F. Emmel)
Region: Inyo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: Jul 10, 1978
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (John F. Emmel)
Region: Inyo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
Observation date: Aug 11, 1974
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Steve Wells)
Region: Inyo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 05, 2010
- ‹ previous
- 9 of 21
- next ›