Papilio palamedes, Palamedes Swallowtail

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Freshly emerged female

Description: 47-64 mm. This is a large swallowtail that is brown in color and has orange-yellow spots on the outer margin of the forwing, extending into the hindwing. There is some faint greenish dusting and a red spot on the hindwing. The tails are not clubbed like other swallowtails and have a yellow line in the middle. Ventral hindwing has rows of bring orange and blue spots. They also have brick colored antennae.

Habitat and Distribution: swamps and pine lands where host plants grow throughout Florida and in Northern Mexico

Host Plant: Bay trees such as (Persea borbonia)

Natural History: This species should be concidered a very rare stray to the Keys and has no breeding populations. There have been records in Key Largo

Freshly emerged female

Freshly emerged female

Egg

Final instar larva

Final instar larva

larva in "J-possition"

Freshly emerged male

This adult fell victim to a green lynx xpider

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