Graphium macleayanus
{{Short description|Species of butterfly endemic to Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Macleay's swallowtail
| image = Graphium macleayanus.jpg
| image_caption = Macleay's swallowtail (Graphium macleayanus moggana), Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, Tasmania, Australia
| genus = Graphium (butterfly)
| species = macleayanus
| authority = (Leach, 1814){{cite web|title=Macleay's swallowtail|publisher=CSIRO and Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry|url=http://www.ento.csiro.au/aicn/name_c/a_2526.htm|date=18 September 2004|access-date=4 November 2009}}
| range_map = Graphium macleayanus range.png
| range_map_caption = Range of Macleay's swallowtail
}}
Graphium macleayanus, the Macleay's swallowtail, is a butterfly belonging to the family Papilionidae. The species was named after Alexander Macleay.{{cite web|url=http://www-staff.it.uts.edu.au/~don/larvae/papi/macleay.html |title=Graphium macleayanus (Leach, 1814) |last1=Herbison-Evans |first1=Don |last2=Newman |first2=Stewart |last3=Crossley |first3=Stella |date=5 September 2009 |access-date=3 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011235205/http://www-staff.it.uts.edu.au/~don/larvae/papi/macleay.html |archive-date=11 October 2009 }}{{cite book |last=Stacey |first=Robyn |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cSElAFnbkocC&q=Graphium+macleayanus |title=Museum: the Macleays, their collections and the search for order |last2=Hay |first2=Ashley |date=24 October 2007 |publisher=Cambridge University Press, 2007 |isbn=978-0-521-87453-3 |author-link2=Ashley Hay}}
Taxonomy
Macleay's swallowtail was first described by William Elford Leach in 1814. Two subspecies are recorded in Australia, the nominate form, G. m. macleayanus and G. m. moggana, which was first described by Leonard Edgar Couchman in 1965.{{cite web|url=http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/fauna/afd/taxa/Graphium_macleayanus/names|title=Names List for Graphium macleayanus (Leach, 1814)|date=9 October 2008 |publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts|access-date=4 November 2009}} The name is synonymous with Papilio macleayanus.
Description
File:Graphium macleayanus (ento-csiro-au).jpg
The caterpillar grows to a length of 4 cm. The pupa is green with thin yellow lines.
The adult female Macleay's swallowtail has a wingspan of 59 mm, whilst the adult male has a wingspan of 53 mm.{{cite web|url=http://www.ozanimals.com/Insect/Macleay%27s-Swallowtail/Graphium/macleayanus.html|title=Macleay's Swallowtail ( Graphium macleayanus ) |publisher=OzAnimals.com|access-date=4 November 2009}} The upperside of the wing is green with white markings and black edges.{{cite web |title= Graphium macleayanus – JCU |url= http://cms.jcu.edu.au/discovernature/butterfliescommon/JCUPRD_044477 |access-date= 26 August 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090709063413/http://cms.jcu.edu.au/discovernature/butterfliescommon/JCUPRD_044477 |archive-date= 9 July 2009 }} The lower surface is a deeper green with black, brown and white markings. The lower wings are strongly tailed.{{cite book|title=Tasmanian year book, Issue 11|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics, Tasmanian Office|year=1977}}
Distribution and habitat
The Macleay's swallowtail is one of the most widely distributed swallowtail butterflies in Australia.{{cite book|title=Australian natural history, Volume 14|publisher=Australian Museum|year=1962}} It is found in eastern Australia including the ACT, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania. It is the only swallowtail found in Tasmania.{{cite book|author=Charles Barrett |author2=Alexander N. Burns |title=Butterflies of Australia and New Guinea|publisher=N. H. Seward|year=1951}} The species has also been found on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island, but not since 1893. The habitat of the species includes urban areas, forests, woodlands and heath.{{cite web|url=http://faunanet.gov.au/wos/factfile.cfm?Fact_ID=190 |title=Macleay's Swallowtail Fact File |date=4 November 2009 |publisher=Australian Museum |access-date=4 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090930133133/http://faunanet.gov.au/wos/factfile.cfm?Fact_ID=190 |archive-date=30 September 2009 }}
Behaviour
The caterpillars are green, with small white dots all over the body and a humped thorax. They feed on the foliage of members in the Atherosperma, Cinnamomum, Cryptocarya, Daphnandra, Doryphora, Endiandra and Tasmannia genera.{{cite web|url=http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/fauna/afd/taxa/Graphium_macleayanus/hosts |title=Host taxa for Graphium macleayanus (Leach, 1814) |date=9 October 2008 |publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts |access-date=4 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505003736/http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/fauna/afd/taxa/Graphium_macleayanus/hosts |archive-date=5 May 2011 }}
The adults feed on nectar from flowers, including the genera Leptospermum, Lantana and Buddleia. The flight period is from August to March.{{cite book|last=Daley|first=Elizabeth|title=Wings: An introduction to Tasmania's winged insects|publisher=Riffles Pty Ltd|year=2007}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Graphium macleayanus}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110505003736/http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/fauna/afd/taxa/Graphium_macleayanus/hosts List of host plants for Graphium macleayanus]. Australian Biological Resources Study.
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1764886}}
Category:Butterflies described in 1814