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King Swallowtail

Heraclides thoas autocles

Description:

The King Swallowtail or Thoas Swallowtail (Papilio thoas) is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. Adult Thoas swallowtails fly year round in the tropics, feeding on nectar of a variety of flowers, including Lantana, Stachytarpheta, and Bougainvillea among other species. The wingspan is 100–130 mm.

Habitat:

A rather tattered Swallowtail butterfly seen in an enclosure in Mawamba Lodge.

2 Species ID Suggestions

bayucca
bayucca 10 years ago
King Swallowtail
Heraclides thoas autocles Heraclides thoas autocles (Rothschild & Jordan, 1906)
tmvdh
tmvdh 10 years ago
King Swallowtail
Papilio thoas


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2 Comments

tmvdh
tmvdh 10 years ago

Well, that's your decision ;-). I prefer Papilio.

pamsai
pamsai 10 years ago

Seem to have 2 scientific names for the same butterfly here. At least the English name is the same. What to do!?

pamsai
Spotted by
pamsai

Costa Rica

Spotted on Oct 20, 2013
Submitted on Nov 24, 2013

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Heraclides caterpillar Heraclides butterfly Swallowtail Heraclides butterfly larva

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