Zebra Swallowtail
Neographium marcellus (Cramer, 1777)
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Tribe: Leptocircini
Identification: Upper surface of wings with black stripes on pale whitish-green background; hindwings have very long tails. Early-spring form is smaller and lighter colored.
Wing Span: 2 1/2 - 4 inches (6.4 - 10.4 cm).
Life History: Adult males fly in the understory near host plants to find females. Females lay single green eggs on lower leaves of host plant. Caterpillars live and feed on the underside of these leaves, then pupate and hibernate there.
Flight: Two flights, April-August, in the northern part of its range; many flights, March-December, in the south.
Caterpillar Hosts: Shrubs of the genus Asimina (pawpaw) in the Annonaceae family. Young plants are preferred.
Adult Food: Moisture from sand and nectar from flowers including blueberry, blackberry, lilac, redbud, viper\'s bugloss, verbena, dogbane, and common milkweed.
Habitat: Breeds in moist low woodlands near swamps and rivers. Adults fly to nectar plants in open fields and brushy areas.
Range: Rare in northern part of range.
Conservation: Not usually of concern.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Maintain host trees in various stages of succession.
Alternate Scientific Names:
Eurytides marcellus
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 217 - 240 of 2907 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 23, 2017
Submitted by: c4c
Region: Bedford County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 09, 2021
Observation date: Jul 12, 2017
Submitted by: David_1
Region: Prince William County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 09, 2021
Observation date: Aug 06, 2017
Submitted by: thedrw
Region: Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 09, 2021
Observation date: Aug 26, 2017
Submitted by: celyvmn
Region: Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 08, 2021
Observation date: Apr 22, 2018
Submitted by: ana_kaahanui
Region: Fairfax County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 07, 2021
Observation date: Apr 26, 2018
Submitted by: Darrin Frye
Region: Chesapeake, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 07, 2021
Observation date: Jun 08, 2018
Submitted by: pweidman
Region: Mecklenburg County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 07, 2021
Observation date: May 12, 2018
Submitted by: Jim_Gant777
Region: Fairfax County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 07, 2021
Observation date: Aug 27, 2017
Submitted by: WhitePine
Region: Loudoun County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 07, 2021
Observation date: Jul 11, 2018
Submitted by: Masongirl
Region: Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 07, 2021
Observation date: Jul 31, 2018
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 06, 2021
Observation date: Jul 27, 2018
Submitted by: HHowell
Region: Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 06, 2021
Observation date: Jul 12, 2018
Submitted by: krobra
Region: Prince William County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 05, 2021
Observation date: May 01, 2018
Submitted by: yardbird
Region: Powhatan County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 05, 2021
Observation date: Apr 21, 2019
Submitted by: ghnatt
Region: Fredericksburg, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 04, 2021
Observation date: Jun 11, 2019
Submitted by: EddieGarrity
Region: Alexandria, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 04, 2021
Observation date: Jun 18, 2019
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Fairfax County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 04, 2021
Observation date: Jun 06, 2019
Submitted by: c4c
Region: Bedford County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 04, 2021
Observation date: Jul 02, 2019
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 03, 2021
Observation date: Jun 16, 2019
Submitted by: mshawkins
Region: Stafford County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 03, 2021
Observation date: Jul 11, 2019
Submitted by: ljbost
Region: Fauquier County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 03, 2021
Observation date: Aug 23, 2019
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 02, 2021
Observation date: Aug 23, 2019
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 02, 2021
Observation date: Jun 21, 2018
Submitted by: tirvine2020
Region: Fairfax County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 01, 2021
- ‹ previous
- 10 of 122
- next ›