Swallowtail butterfly
Appearance
Swallowtail butterfly | |
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Western Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio rutulus | |
Scientific classification | |
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Family: | Papilionidae Latreille, 1802
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Type species | |
Papilio machaon | |
Subfamilies and genera | |
There are 26 genera and about 605 species:
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Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies which form the family Papilionidae. There are at least 550 species, and though the majority are tropical, members of the family are found on all continents except Antarctica. The family includes the largest butterflies in the world, the birdwing butterflies of Australia (genus Ornithoptera).[1]