| Giant swallowtail | |
|---|---|
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Papilionidae |
| Genus: | Papilio |
| Species: | P. cresphontes |
What is the largest butterfly?
The Queen Alexandra Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) is the largest living butterfly, with a wingspan that stretches almost a foot across. One the rarest butterflies in the world, it’s found only in the rain forests of New Guinea.
Where can you find the world’s largest butterfly?
Ornithoptera alexandrae, the Queen Alexandra’s birdwing, is the largest species of butterfly in the world, with females reaching wingspans slightly in excess of 25 cm to 28 cm (9.8 inches to 11 inches). This birdwing is restricted to the forests of the Oro Province in eastern Papua New Guinea.
Is the giant swallowtail caterpillar poisonous?
Both the caterpillar and the adult are poisonous. The caterpillars of the Pipevine Swallowtail feed on the poisonous host plant, Aristolochia, also known as the pipevine, Dutchman’s pipe or birthwort. It contains the lethal toxin aristolochic acid.
How long does a giant swallowtail butterfly live?
Giant Swallowtail Life Cycle: Stages and Times
| Stage | Typical Duration |
|---|---|
| Egg stage | Generally 4 to 10 days, depending on temperature and host plant |
| Caterpillar (larval) stage | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Chrysalis (pupal) stage | 10 to 20 days (except for overwintering pupae) |
| Adult butterfly stage | 6 to 14 days |
What is the most dangerous butterfly?
Antimachus Swallowtail : The most poisonous butterfly in the world! – This butterfly has a wing span of 8 to 9 inches and is from Uganda. It has enough poison in its body to kill six cats!
What is the rarest butterfly?
The Palos Verdes Blue is the rarest butterfly in the world. Presumed extinct until 1994, when researchers discovered a population in San Pedro, California. A breeding program was initiated and seems to be successful, but there are still only several hundred in the wild.
What is the most beautiful butterfly?
Top 10 Most Beautiful Butterflies of the World
- 3) Janetta Forester. With large patches of metallic blue, green, orange or red, these butterflies originate from Africa. …
- 4) Amber Phantom Butterfly. …
- 5) Rhetus periander. …
- 6) Teinopalpus aureus. …
- 7) Blue Morpho Butterfly. …
-
Blue Clipper Butterfly. … - 9) Western Blue Beauty. …
- 10) Birdwing.
Blue Clipper Butterfly. … 18 авг. 2015 г.
Do butterflies bite?
Butterflies don’t bite because they can’t. Caterpillars munch on leaves and eat voraciously with their chewing mouthparts, and some of them do bite if they feel threatened. But once they become butterflies, they only have a long, curled proboscis, which is like a soft drinking straw—their jaws are gone.
Which is the world’s smallest butterfly?
Western Pygmy Blue Butterfly
With a wingspan of 0.5 inch (1.3 centimeters), the Western pygmy blue is the smallest known butterfly in the world, Katy Prudic, a biologist at Oregon State University in Corvallis, says via email. The insects range from central California through the western U.S. and down into Venezuela.
Are swallowtail butterflies helpful or harmful?
Black swallowtails are not really harmful as adults but they don’t directly benefit any garden plants either. Their young are considered pests in large numbers, but the average hatch doesn’t kill carrot plants, just defoliates them.
How big do giant swallowtail caterpillars get?
The caterpillars look a lot like bird droppings and can get as big as 4.5 cm long! Caterpillars of many butterfly species tend to change their appearance as they develop. Giant Swallowtail caterpillars however do not change their appearance very much.
Can a butterfly kill you?
No butterflies are so poisonous that they kill people or large animals, but there is an African moth whose caterpillar’s fluids are very poisonous.
How can I help a dying butterfly?
For a butterfly that seems weak or hungry, you can rescue it by helping it eat. Mix up some sugar water and set out a sponge soaked in it. Gently take the butterfly’s wings between your thumb and forefinger, using utmost care not to pinch too hard. Set the butterfly on the sponge.
What do you feed a swallowtail butterfly?
You can feed your butterfly by soaking a paper towel in honey water. Mix one part honey and 10 parts water. If you want to keep your black swallowtail around after releasing him, plant various flowers in your front yard. Black swallowtails prefer to feed on phlox, milkweed and red clover.