The scarce swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius) is a species of butterfly belonging to the family Papilionidae. It is also called the sail swallowtail or pear-tree swallowtail.

  • Iphiclides podalirius centralasiae <small>(Rosen, 1929)</small>
  • Iphiclides podalirius persica <small>Verity, 1911</small>
  • Iphiclides podalirius podalirius (Central and Southern Europe)
  • Iphiclides podalirius virgatus <small>(Butler, 1865)</small>
  • Iphiclides podalirius xinyuanensis <small>Huang & Murayama, 1992</small> China (Xinyuan)

Else see:

  • Iphiclides podalirius feisthamelii (North Africa, Spain and southwest France), often treated as a valid species, Iphiclides feisthamelii. A few specimens of the scarce swallowtail have been reported from central Sweden and the United Kingdom but they were probably only strays and not migrants.

Habitat

These swallowtail butterflies inhabit gardens, towns as well as the countryside, in fields and open woodlands. They are found in places with sloe thickets and particularly orchards. In the Alps they can be found up to altitudes of 2000&nbsp;m, but usually they prefer foothills and lower levels.

The presence of Iphiclides podalirius in the floodplain of the Morava River in the Slovak Republic have been found to be a good indicator of relatively well preserved xerothermic grassland habitats with forest-steppe vegetation, which have no cutting history. It is considered rare and endangered and protected in some provinces of Austria and of indeterminate status throughout Europe. In Armenia the species demonstrates stable population trend and is evaluated as Least Concern. Though referred by some authorities to be of status "vulnerable", it is however unlisted in the IUCN Red List.

Description

Iphiclides podalirius has a wingspan of in males, of in females. It is a very large distinctive butterfly. The background color of the wings is creamy white or pale yellow. On the front wings there are six tiger stripes and wedge-shaped markings. At the outer edge of the hind wings there are blue crescent markings, with an oblong, orange spot at the back corner and a relatively long tail.

This species is rather similar to Papilio machaon, Papilio hospiton, Papilio alexanor and Protographium marcellus.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180px">

Iphiclides podalirius MHNT CUT 2013 3 9 Male Dos Cahors.jpg|Male

Iphiclides podalirius MHNT CUT 2013 3 9 Male Ventre Cahors.jpg|Male underside

Iphiclides podalirius MHNT CUT 2013 3 9 Female Dos Cahors.jpg|Female

Iphiclides podalirius MHNT CUT 2013 3 9 Female Ventre Cahors.jpg|Female underside

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Biology

Adults of Iphiclides podalirius fly from March to October. There are one, two, or three generations a year.

Research on pupae of Iphiclides podalirius in Spain indicates that the pupae manifest in two colours, green and brown, for the purpose of camouflage. The green pupae develop on host plants and develop directly while brown pupae enter into diapause in the leaf litter. Pupating larvae tend to form green pupae before August while after August they tend to form brown pupae. Duration of the photophase or light period appears to be the mechanism which dictates the path of development of the pupa. The results suggest that the green pupa develop on food plants to avoid predation by small mammals and visual avian predators while the brown pupa develop on leaf litter to avoid avian predators.

Life cycle

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File: Iphiclides podalirius 1.jpg|Caterpillar

File:Iphiclides podalirius pupating.jpg|Pupating caterpillar

File:SailSwallowtail.jpg|Imago

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References

  • Scarce swallowtail on Butterflycorner.net
  • Lepiforum.de
  • Paolo Mazzei, Daniel Morel, Raniero Panfili Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa
  • Iphiclides podalirius on Guy Padfield's Butterfly Page
  • Butterfly Conservation Armenia [https://www.butterfly-conservation-armenia.org/]