ZEBRA SWALLOWTAIL SERIES

ZEBRA SWALLOWTAIL SERIES

On his return to Britain, his drawings were reproduced in The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, which appeared in a series of volumes between 17. There, he made numerous drawings of the flora and fauna, working hard to ensure that his depictions were as helpful for an understanding of their subjects as possible. In London his drawings of birds and plants met with praise and a group of benefactors paid for his travel to Carolina in 1722. Catesby spent seven years in Virginia collecting specimens and seeds for London buyers before returning to Britain. In 1712, he travelled to the east coast of America with his sister Elizabeth, who had married a doctor who practised in Williamsburg, Virginia. Mark Catesby was born in Suffolk and was interested in natural history from an early age. The butterflies are painted onto separate sheets of paper which have been cut out and pasted to the drawing. 168 pp.A watercolour of a prickly apple ( Catesbaea spinosa L.) with two zebra swallowtail butterflies ( Protographium marcellus (Cramer)). University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry. Arthropods of Florida and Neighboring Land Areas Vol. The Lepidoptera of Florida an annotated checklist. Butterflies 1: Butterflies of the Southeast. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. Butterflies of the East Coast: An Observer's Guide. (Passifloracaea), a host of the zebra longwing butterfly, Heliconius charithonia (Linneaus). Purple passionflower, Passiflora incarnata L. and several other passionflower vines.įigure 5. corkystem passionflower, Passiflora suberosa L. Hosts (Back to Top)Ĭommon hosts are purple passionflower, Passiflora incarnata L. Adult individuals often form small communal roosts at night. The additional nutrients from the pollen enable individuals to survive for several months, far exceeding the normal two to four week adult life span of most other butterflies. Females lay the small yellow eggs singly or in small clusters on terminal leaves and trendrils of the host plants.Īdult zebra longwing butterflies feed on both flower nectar and pollen. Adults may be found in all months of the year throughout much of central and southern portions of Florida. The zebra longwing produces multiple generations each year. Pupae: The pupae are brown and have two long flanges off the head. Mature larva of the zebra longwing butterfly, Heliconius charithonia (Linnaeus), on corkystem passionflower, Passiflora suberosa L. Larvae: The mature larvae are white with black spots numerous black branched spines.įigure 4. Eggs of the zebra longwing butterfly, Heliconius charithonia (Linnaeus), on maypop (purple passionflower), Passiflora incarnata L. Daniels, University of Florida.Įggs: The yellow eggs are laid singly or in small clusters on new growth of the host plant.įigure 3. Adult zebra longwing butterfly, Heliconius charithonia (Linnaeus), with ventral view of the wings. The wings below have a similar pattern, but are paler in color and have several small red spots near the body.įigure 2. The upper surface of the wings is black with several bold, narrow yellow stripes. Adults have a wingspan range of 72 to 100 mm. They cannot be confused with any other Florida butterfly.

It is locally common throughout peninsular Florida.Īdults: Zebra longwings are medium-sized butterflies with elongated wings. The zebra longwing is a neotropical butterfly that occurs in extreme southern portions of the United States southward through Mexico, Central America and the West Indies to South America. Adult zebra longwing butterfly, Heliconius charithonia (Linnaeus), with dorsal view of the wings. It is a regular sight in many butterfly gardens and suburban yards and parks.įigure 1. A denizen of more forested settings, it frequents subtropical hammocks, forest margins, shrubby thickets, and adjacent open areas. The zebra longwing, Heliconius charithonia (Linnaeus), was designated the state butterfly of Florida in 1996. Introduction - Distribution - Description - Life Cycle - Hosts - Selected References Introduction (Back to Top) Scientific name: Heliconius charithonia (Linnaeus) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Zebra swallowtail