Red-bodied swallowtail Red-bodied swallowtail Red-bodied swallowtails are butterflies in the swallowtail family, that belong to the genera "Atrophaneura", "Byasa", "Losaria", or "Pachliopta". They are generally found in Asia (Indomalaya ecozone). Collectors have found the red-bodied swallowtails difficult to kill. Pinching the thorax, a method which kills most butterflies, is withstood and apparently only stuns the butterfly temporarily. The eggs are simple. The larvae resemble those of other Troidini. Fleshy spine-like tubercles, often with red tips, line the caterpillars' backs, and their bodies are dark red to brown and velvety black or shades of grey with a pattern of black lines. They feed
Swallowtail butterfly species inhabit altitudes ranging from sea level to high mountains, as in the case of most species of "Parnassius". The majority of swallowtail species and the greatest diversity are found in the tropics and subtropical regions between 20°N and 20°S, particularly Southeast Asia, and between 20°N and 40°N in East Asia. Only 12 species are found in Europe and only one species, "Papilio machaon" is found in the British Isles. North America has 40 species, including several tropical species and "Parnassius". The northernmost swallowtail is the Siberian Apollo ("Parnassius arcticus"), found in the Arctic Circle in northeastern Yakutia, at altitudes