Pink-spotted Swallowtail (Papilio pharnaces Doubleday)
Wing span: 3 5/16 - 3 3/4 inches (8.4 - 9.5 cm)
Identification: Wings black; some specimens without tails. Upper surface of hindwing with submarginal and postmedian bands of small pink spots.
Life history: None reported.
Flight: February-October in Mexico, April in south Texas.
Caterpillar hosts: Plants in citrus (Rutaceae) family.
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Edges of woods at low-middle elevations.
Range: Central and southern Mexico. One stray reported from lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas.
Conservation: Not required for tropical stray.
Management needs: None noted.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G3 - Very rare or local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range (21 to 100 occurrences). (Threatened throughout its range).
References:
Beutelspacher, C. R. 1984. Mariposas de Mexico, Fasciculo I. La Prensa Medica Mexicana, S. A. 171 pages, 20 color plates. Opler, P. A. and V. Malikul. 1992. A field guide to eastern butterflies. Peterson field guide #4. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston. 396 pages, 48 color plates.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann