Papilio

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Papilio
Ulysses Butterfly
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Tribe: Papilionini
Genus: Papilio
Papilio Species

see text

Papilio is a genus in the swallowtail butterfly family, Papilionidae. It includes a number of well-known North American species such as the Western Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio rutulus. Familiar species in Asia include the Mormons (Papilio polytes, Papilio polymnestor), the Orchard and Ulysses Swallowtails in Australia (Papilio aegeus, Papilio ulysses, respectively) and the Citrus Swallowtail of Africa (Papilio demodocus).

Older classifications of the swallowtails tended to use a large number of rather small genera. More recent classifications have been more conservative, and as a result a number of former genera are now absorbed within Papilio. The genus as recognised by modern systems has about 200 members. The genus Chilasa is regarded as a subgenus of Papilio by some workers, as are the Baggy-Tailed Swallowtails (Agehana), although the latter taxon is usually considered a subgenus of Chilasa.

Former genera now included in Papilio:

  • Achillides
  • Eleppone
  • Druryia
  • Heraclides (giant swallowtails)
  • Menelaides
  • Princeps
  • Pterourus (tiger swallowtails)
  • Sinoprinceps

[edit] Selected species

[edit] References

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