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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 25 - 48 of 490 verified sightings
Observation date: Apr 06, 2021
Submitted by: Gary Charlton
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 10, 2021
Observation date: Jul 29, 2019
Submitted by: Todd Stefanic
Region: Butte County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 15, 2020
Observation date: Jul 09, 2020
Submitted by: Bixia
Region: California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 28, 2020
Observation date: May 17, 2013
Submitted by: hiker96
Region: Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 26, 2020
Observation date: Jul 20, 2019
Submitted by: aulljon
Region: California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 15, 2020
Observation date: May 29, 2020
Submitted by: A_baldini
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Jun 06, 2020
Observation date: May 05, 2020
Submitted by: Birder2
Region: Sherman County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 12, 2020
Observation date: Jun 25, 2008
Submitted by: Dwaine Wagoner
Region: Natrona County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jan 08, 2020
Observation date: May 11, 2019
Submitted by: flatus
Region: Klickitat County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 03, 2019
Observation date: Jun 04, 2000
Submitted by: David A. Hofmann
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 01, 2019
Observation date: Jul 22, 2019
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 26, 2019
Observation date: Aug 06, 2019
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Sierra County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 20, 2019
Observation date: May 10, 2019
Submitted by: Chris Carvalho
Region: Klickitat County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 25, 2019
Observation date: Apr 28, 2019
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 30, 2019
Observation date: Apr 13, 2019
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 15, 2019
Observation date: Jul 28, 2010
Submitted by: ltlredwagon
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 09, 2018
Observation date: Jul 28, 2018
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 29, 2018
Observation date: Jul 15, 2018
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 18, 2018
Observation date: Jun 06, 2018
Submitted by: Doug Backlund
Region: Custer County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 07, 2018
Observation date: May 15, 2018
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 16, 2018
Observation date: Apr 25, 2018
Submitted by: Chris Carvalho
Region: Klickitat County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 04, 2018
Observation date: Apr 26, 2018
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 27, 2018
Observation date: May 14, 2017
Submitted by: A_baldini
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 23, 2017
Observation date: May 18, 2017
Submitted by: Sue Orlowski
Region: Douglas County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 31, 2017
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