Papilio fuscus

Papilio fuscus Goeze, 1779
Canopus Swallowtail
PAPILIONIDAE

Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
and
Peter R. Samson & Stella Crossley

(updated 12 May 2004)

Papilio fuscus
(Photo copyright: Peter Samson)

The eggs of this species are pale yellow, and spherical. They are laid singly on young shoots of a foodplant.

The Caterpillar is green or brown, mottled with orange, green, yellow, and white, and has a white line along each side. The thoracic and the final abdominal segment each have a pair of conical lumps. The thorax is humped.

(Photo copyright: Peter Samson)

It feeds on various members of the RUTACEAE plant family including the Australian natives :

Bosistoa medicinalis,

Clausena brevistyla,

Finger lime ( Citrus australasica ),

Mt White Lime ( Citrus garrawayae ),

Large Leaf Lime ( Citrus inodora ),

Satin Wood ( Zanthoxylum brachyacanthum ),

Prickly Ash ( Zanthoxylum nitidum ),

Australian Willow ( Geijera parviflora ),

Orangeberry ( Glycosmis trifoliata = pentaphylla ),

Kerosine Wood ( Halfordia kendack ),

Lime Berry ( Micromelum minutum ),

and the introduced :

Japanese Prickly Ash ( Zanthoxylum ailanthoides ),

Curry Leaf Tree, ( Murraya koenigii ),

Orange Jessamine ( Murraya paniculata ),

Lemon ( Citrus limon ),

Seville Orange ( Citrus aurantium ),

Sweet Lime ( Citrus aurantifolia ),

Mandarin ( Citrus reticulata ), and

Orange ( Citrus sinensis ).

When the Caterpillars are disturbed, they are inclined to poke out a red forked osmeterium from behind the head, which produes a strong aromatic smell.

(Photo: courtesy of Ross Kendall,
Butterfly Encounters, Indooroopilly, Queensland)

The pupa is green with a white line along each side. It is attached to a stem of the foodplant with cremaster and girdle. Depending on environmental conditions, the pupal period can be anything between two weeks and three years.

(Specimen courtesy: Butterfly House, Coffs Harbour)

The adults have black wings, each with a wide white band. The hind wings also each have a row of red and of blue spots, and a blunt tail at the tornus. The butterflies have a wingspan of about 8 cms.

(Specimen: courtesy of the The Australian Museum)

The species occurs in the tropical coastal areas of Australia, as several races :

canopus in the Northern Territory and the north of Western Australia,

capaneus in Queensland including Brisbane, and

indicatus in Cape York.

underside
(Specimen: courtesy of the The Australian Museum)