Papilio indra

Indra swallowtail
Grand Canyon swallowtail (P. i. kaibabensis) female
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Papilionidae
Genus:	Papilio
Species:	P. indra
Binomial name
Papilio indra Reakirt, 1866

Papilio indra, the Indra swallowtail, short-tailed black swallowtail, or cliff swallowtail, is a western North American butterfly in the family Papilionidae.

Description

The Indra swallowtail is a black butterfly with minimal blue and whitish markings, similar in coloration to the black swallowtail or the short-tailed swallowtail. Likewise, the species has a very short tail, and dark blue crescents on the topside of the hindwing.^[1]

Habitat and distribution

P. indra can be found in a variety of ecosystems, ranging from sea level in some areas to several thousand feet in elevation elsewhere. They can be found near many cities and other human settlements, as well as in extremely isolated, pristine forested regions, remote high deserts, prairies, or in montane habitats.

Geographically, P. indra is found in the western half of North America, from extreme southern British Columbia, south through Washington, Oregon and California (extending to northern Baja California, Mexico). It is also found around the Rockies, north from Idaho and western Montana through Wyoming, Nevada, Utah and Colorado, and south to Arizona and New Mexico. Sightings have also occurred as far east as western Nebraska and South Dakota.^[1][2]

Flight

The Indra swallowtail has one brood per year and is on the wing in spring in southern or lower altitudes but early summer in northern or higher altitudes.^[1]

Subspecies

There is an (as-yet) unnamed subspecies that has been referred to as P. i. bonnevillensis by some, and as the "Utah-West Desert segregate" by others.

Currently recognized subspecies are:^[3]

• P. i. calcicola Emmel & Griffin, 1998
• P. i. fordi Comstock & Martin, 1956
• P. i. indra Reakirt, 1866
• P. i. kaibabensis Bauer, 1955
• P. i. martini T. & J. Emmel, 1966
• P. i. minori Cross, 1936
• P. i. nevadensis T. & J. Emmel, 1971
• P. i. panamintensis Emmel, 1982
• P. i. pygmaeus J. Emmel, T. Emmel & Griffin, 1998
• P. i. pergamus H. Edwards, 1874
• P. i. phyllisae J. Emmel, 1982
• P. i. shastensis Emmel & Emmel, 1998

Food plants

Parsley, wild carrot and other Apiaceae (umbelliforme) family species.^[2]

References

1. Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman (2003). Butterflies of North America. Houghton Mifflin, New York, NY. ISBN 0-618-15312-8
2. Indra Swallowtail, Butterflies of Canada.
3. Papilio, funet.fi

• Emmel, J.F. and Emmel, T.C., 1964. The life history of Papilio indra minori. Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 18: 65-73.pdf
• Emmel, T.C. and Emmel, J.F., 1967. The biology of Papilio indra kaibabensis in the Grand Canyon. Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 21: 41-49. pdf
• Emmel, J.F. and Emmel, T.C., 1968. The population biology and life history of Papilio indra martini. Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 22: 46-52.pdf