Papilionidae : Papilioninae
Battus polydamas (Dufrane, 1946)
Polydamas Swallowtail
Battus polydamas (Dufrane, 1946)
Polydamas Swallowtail
Description and Similar Species: Wingspan 84-110mm. Sexes similar. A very dark Swallowtail with a sub-terminal band of yellow dots across both fore and hindwings. The underside hindwing has red dots at the base and around the edge, and is one of only two Cuban Swallowtail to have no tails, though beware worn specimens that have lost them - the other is the Lime Swallowtail Papilio demoleus.
Range: Southern USA to Argentina and almost every island in the Caribbean.
Status: Widespread and common throughout Cuba. The subspecies cubensis is endemic to Cuba.
Nectar Plants: Poinsettia, Bauhinia, Melochia nodiflora, Chromolaena villosum, Tournefortia hirsutissima, Lantana, Stachytarpheta jamaicensis. Also feeds on dung and puddles.
Larval Foodplants: Aristolochia sp. including A. elegans (Fernández).
Range: Southern USA to Argentina and almost every island in the Caribbean.
Status: Widespread and common throughout Cuba. The subspecies cubensis is endemic to Cuba.
Nectar Plants: Poinsettia, Bauhinia, Melochia nodiflora, Chromolaena villosum, Tournefortia hirsutissima, Lantana, Stachytarpheta jamaicensis. Also feeds on dung and puddles.
Larval Foodplants: Aristolochia sp. including A. elegans (Fernández).
Eggs
Larva
Foodplants and Habitat
