| Macleay's swallowtail | |
|---|---|
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| Macleay's swallowtail (Graphium macleayanus moggana), Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, Tasmania, Australia | |
Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Papilionidae |
| Genus: | Graphium |
| Species: | G. macleayanus
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| Binomial name | |
| Graphium macleayanus | |
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| Range of Macleay's swallowtail G. m. moggana; G. m. macleayanus
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Graphium macleayanus, the Macleay's swallowtail, is a butterfly belonging to the family Papilionidae. The species was named after Alexander Macleay. [2] [3]
Taxonomy
Macleay's swallowtail was first described by William Elford Leach in 1814. Two subspecies are recorded in Australia, [1] the nominate form, G. m. macleayanus and G. m. moggana, which was first described by Leonard Edgar Couchman in 1965. [4] The name is synonymous with Papilio macleayanus.
Description
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The caterpillar grows to a length of 4 cm. The pupa is green with thin yellow lines.
The adult female Macleay's swallowtail has a wingspan of 59 mm, whilst the adult male has a wingspan of 53 mm. [5] The upperside of the wing is green with white markings and black edges. [6] The lower surface is a deeper green with black, brown and white markings. [6] The lower wings are strongly tailed. [7]
Distribution and habitat
The Macleay's swallowtail is one of the most widely distributed swallowtail butterflies in Australia. [8] It is found in eastern Australia including the ACT, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania. It is the only swallowtail found in Tasmania. [9] The species has also been found on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island, but not since 1893. [1] The habitat of the species includes urban areas, forests, woodlands and heath. [10]
Behaviour
The caterpillars are green, with small white dots all over the body and a humped thorax. They feed on the foliage of members in the Atherosperma, Cinnamomum, Cryptocarya, Daphnandra, Doryphora, Endiandra and Tasmannia genera. [11]
The adults feed on nectar from flowers, including the genera Leptospermum, Lantana and Buddleia. [5] The flight period is from August to March. [12]
See also
- Papilionidae
- List of butterflies of Australia
- List of butterflies of Victoria
- List of butterflies of Tasmania
References
- ^ a b c "Macleay's swallowtail". CSIRO and Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. 18 September 2004. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
- ^ Herbison-Evans, Don; Newman, Stewart; Crossley, Stella (5 September 2009). "Graphium macleayanus (Leach, 1814)". Archived from the original on 11 October 2009. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
- ^ Stacey, Robyn; Hay, Ashley (24 October 2007). Museum: the Macleays, their collections and the search for order. Cambridge University Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-521-87453-3.
- ^ "Names List for Graphium macleayanus (Leach, 1814)". Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. 9 October 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
- ^ a b "Macleay's Swallowtail ( Graphium macleayanus )". OzAnimals.com. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
- ^ a b "Graphium macleayanus – JCU". Archived from the original on 9 July 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2009.
- ^ Tasmanian year book, Issue 11. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Tasmanian Office. 1977.
- ^ Australian natural history, Volume 14. Australian Museum. 1962.
- ^ Charles Barrett; Alexander N. Burns (1951). Butterflies of Australia and New Guinea. N. H. Seward.
- ^ "Macleay's Swallowtail Fact File". Australian Museum. 4 November 2009. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
- ^ "Host taxa for Graphium macleayanus (Leach, 1814)". Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. 9 October 2008. Archived from the original on 5 May 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
- ^ Daley, Elizabeth (2007). Wings: An introduction to Tasmania's winged insects. Riffles Pty Ltd.
External links
- List of host plants for Graphium macleayanus. Australian Biological Resources Study.