Page 54 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Papilionidae
DISTRIBUTION South America, from eastern Brazil through Paraguay
and Uruguay to Argentina
HABITAT Dry thorn scrub
HOST PLANTS Berberis ruscifolia
NOTE Eye-catching caterpillar that has distinctive green and
brown markings
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but locally rare

ADULT WINGSPAN
2⅜–3½ in (60 –90 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
1¾–2⅛ in
(45–55 mm)
PAPILIO HELLANICHUS
PAPILIO HELLANICHUS
52
HEWITSON, 1868

The large Papilio hellanichus caterpillars live solitary lives
on Berberis ruscifolia bushes. Their effective cryptic coloring

helps them to blend with their surroundings, making it very

difficult for predators to spot them. It is the only species of the
Papilionidae that feeds on this plant species and, as a result, its
distribution is limited to dry scrub where the host plant is found.
There are two generations a year, although in wet years, many
adults fail to emerge from their pupae, and sightings are rare.

The adult butterfly, one of a number of Papilionidae species

known as “swallowtails” for the forked appearance of their hind
wings, is also susceptible to disturbance by humans, so it is only
found in remote areas. Captive breeding could help boost its

numbers, but this species has proved to be incredibly difficult to
breed—largely because its food plant does not grow well away
from its natural habitat, and the caterpillars are reluctant to feed
on other plants.
The Papilio hellanichus caterpillar has
distinctive markings. It is mostly green with
a brown ventral surface, legs, and prolegs.
There is a large eyespot on the thorax, and
an oblique band of brown and cream runs
across the thorax to the abdomen, with
a lateral brown loop on the abdomen.

Actual size