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Rewrote the complete article with more material. Need help as above. AshLin 12:44, 6 May 2006 (UTC) reply

Sorry, I'm too new to understand the term "wikifying". I personally am not happy with the name -- I know of no species per se that are called "Old World" and would prefer this as "Eurasian Swallowtail" -- the trouble is there is no international English name for the species... -- GRM 20:09, 2 November 2006 (UTC) reply

Thanks for all the images -- love them!! - 69.87.201.170 ( talk) 21:29, 25 December 2007 (UTC) reply

This is the most beautiful butterfly i've seen. Thanks. Reywashere ( talk) 19:35, 7 November 2009 (UTC) reply

The Swallowtail’s Latin name, Papilio machaon, comes from the name Machaon, a son of Asclepius, the demigod of medicine and healing in Greek mythology. Machaon and his brother Podalirius took part in the Trojan War on the side of the Greeks, both as healers and warriors. Machaon achieved cult status in ancient Greece. Source: Nationalencyklopedin, Sweden’s national encyclopedia - 69.87.201.170 ( talk) 21:47, 25 December 2007 (UTC) reply

I'd like a reference for gorganus breeding in the UK. It's oft been speculated, but as far as I know it's never been proved to have happened. 79.79.112.143 ( talk) 21:41, 15 July 2008 (UTC) reply

Depends on your definitions. Larvae have been reported in many places away from the distribution of britannicus and therefore attributed to gorganus. Some of these may have been from genuine wild immigrant stock (as opposed to escapes or deliberate releases), though year-to-year survival of gorganus is unproven. Several references in:

• Emmet, A.M., J. Heath et al. (Ed.), 1990. The Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland Vol. 7 Part 1 (Hesperiidae to Nymphalidae). Harley Books, Colechester, UK. 370p.

— GRM ( talk) 17:25, 16 July 2008 (UTC) reply

Everybody please keep in mind not to add too many pictures of the same kind to an article. It's not supposed to be an image gallery. There is a Commons article on papilio machaon for that purpose. -- Wilder Kaiser ( talk) 20:30, 19 May 2009 (UTC) reply

In the "Breeding" section, there is the following sentence: "They will not build a woven chrysalid, they become pupae internally and then they shed their skins." All lepidoptera shed their skin to become pupae (named chrysalis in butterflies) what is woven in some moths and even butterflies is a cocoon, nothing else. Sentence will be removed. The original writer can redact a replacing one or leave it as is. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.140.88.204 ( talk) 01:10, 18 May 2012 (UTC) reply

Hello! This is a note to let the editors of this article know that File:Chenille de Grand porte queue (macaon).jpg will be appearing as picture of the day on November 24, 2013. You can view and edit the POTD blurb at Template:POTD/2013-11-24. If this article needs any attention or maintenance, it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page. Thanks! —  Crisco 1492 ( talk) 22:46, 7 November 2013 (UTC) reply

Picture of the day

A caterpillar from the species Papilio machaon, also known as the Old World Swallowtail. The caterpillar spends the first part of its life with the appearance of a bird dropping, which serves as an effective defense against predators. As the caterpillar grows larger, it becomes green with black and orange markings and becomes capable of releasing a foul smell if disturbed, which deters insects, but not birds.Photo: Archaeodontosaurus

Archive – More featured pictures...

I have linked two other members of the Papilio genus to this page. Ashleynlin ( talk) 20:23, 14 November 2013 (UTC) reply

Hello! This is a note to let the editors of this article know that File:Schwalbenschwanz (Papilio machaon).jpg will be appearing as picture of the day on July 28, 2015. You can view and edit the POTD blurb at Template:POTD/2015-07-28. If this article needs any attention or maintenance, it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page. Thanks! —  Chris Woodrich ( talk) 23:51, 8 July 2015 (UTC) reply

Picture of the day

Papilio machaon is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae and the type species of the genus Papilio. Despite its common name Old World swallowtail, this species is not restricted to the Old World, as populations can be found in North America.

The butterfly has a strong and fast flight, but frequently pauses to hover over flowering herbs and sip nectar. It frequents alpine meadows and hillsides, and males are fond of congregating near summits to compete for passing females. The species feeds mostly on plants of family Umbelliferae.Photograph: Werner Pichler

Archive – More featured pictures...

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