Scarce swallowtail Scarce swallowtail The scarce swallowtail ("Iphiclides podalirius") is a butterfly belonging to the family Papilionidae. It is also called the sail swallowtail or pear-tree swallowtail. Subspecies include: "Iphiclides podalirius feisthamelii" is sometimes treated as a valid species, "Iphiclides feisthamelii". Despite the name "scarce swallowtail", this species is quite common. The scarcity of United Kingdom migrants is responsible for the English vernacular name. This species is widespread in the East Palearctic ecozone and in most of Europe with the exception of the northern parts. Its range extends northwards to Lower Lusatia and central Poland and eastwards across Asia Minor and Transcaucasia
Swallowtail butterfly for protection from predators. Swallowtail tribes Zerynthiini (Parnassiinae), Luehdorfiini (Parnassiinae) and Troidini (Papilioninae), almost exclusively use the family Aristolochiaceae as their host plants. For example, the eastern black swallowtail's main host plant in the wild is Queen Anne's lace, but they also eat garden plants in the carrot family, including carrots, parsley, dill, and fennel. Adult swallowtails sip nectar, but also mud and sometimes manure. The detailed descriptions of morphological characteristics of the Papilionidae, as quoted in Bingham (1905) are as follows: Stages of development of a papilionid, the giant swallowtail ("Papilio cresphontes") The key characteristics that differentiate the Papilionidae