Papilionodae

Members of the family Papilonidae share a number of characteristics, in brief

Usually medium to large insects mainly found in the tropics

Palpi small, proboscis well developed, antennae short and stout sometimes scaled (graphium)

All six legs well developed and used for walking . The foreleg possesses a spur on the tibia called an epiphysis

Cell closed in both wings

The second anal vein reaches the wing margin and does not link with the first anal vein

In some species the hindwing tornus is extended into a tail (hence the common 'swallowtail 'given to this family).

In some species the anal margin of the hindwing in males is folded over . This fold contains the secondary sexual organs -consisting of scent brushes of a wool like texture

In general the sexes are similar in appearance , but there are many cases of sexual dimorphism(were the sexes look very different and often mistakenly thought to represent different species altogether), and a few species show polymorphism in the females (e.g. Papilio mormon)

The eggs are normally round and dome shaped

The larvae may or may not have fleshy spines or tubercles , but all possess an extensible forked organ (osmeterium) in the first thoracic segment. This osmeterium is connected to a scent gland and when the larva is threatened it thrusts out the osmeterium through a slit in the thorax filling the air with a nauseously sweet odour derived from terpenoids. The Larvae often resemble bird droppings

The pupae are supported by a silken girdle ,with the head upright and the tail attached by a cremaster to a silken pad.

Food plants are from Annonaceae, Rutaceae, Lauraceae and Aristolochiae species

Papilio is the Latin word for butterfly and there about 200 species (550 if the Parnassius are included)