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Hybrid Tiger Swallowtail (Female)
Papilio sp
33.1384, -117.051
Field Notes
Description:
Large yellow fluted swallowtail with black stripes on wings and blue and orange markings near the tail. The abdomen is yellow with black stripes. This series shows various wing position into flight. The Two-tailed Swallowtail has distinctive yellow wings with a black tiger striping. Each hindwing has several blue markings (top and bottom). The eyespots can fool predators into attacking the rear of the butterfly instead of the head, giving the butterfly a chance to escape.
Habitat:
Lantana growing on a Bougainvillea bush in backyard. "The butterfly can be seen from Guatemala, through Mexico, the western United States to southern Canada in southern British Columbia, Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan." - Wikipedia
Notes:
"This is actually looks much more like a Two-tailed Swallowtail
Though in coastal southern California it seems that a lot of individuals may be somewhat intermediate in character (this one has the second tail rather shorter than usual for a Two-tailed). It is possible that this individual should be grouped with [hybrid Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio hybrid Tiger Swallowtail)].
This is a female. The pattern is a little different between males and females (especially on the upper side) with the dark stripes usually narrower and darker on males, and with more blue above in females. In one of your photos you can clearly see the end of the abdomen, and that is helpful too. On a female the abdomen is usually thicker and a somewhat different shape (proportionately thicker toward the base, and more tapered to a blunter tip). At the tip of a male abdomen there is a pair of claspers held side by side that is not present on females, and these are usually easy to make out." - David J. Ferguson at BugGuide
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