Swallowtail Caterpillar

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Photographer: Neelima

Insect Scout: Neelima

Location: Miryalaguda, AP, India

Species Identifier(s): Debbie Hadley (http://insects.about.com/)

Points to appreciate:

• This is a caterpillar of a Swallowtail butterfly. I will soon post images of the adult butterfly.
• Notice the eye-like spots on the caterpillar. Some consider them to be predator deterrents, meaning they have these spots to appear menacing to birds and other natural predators.
• They have, of course, defensive organs too. They have small y-shaped organs called osmeterium on the back of their heads. These organs give off a very foul odor whenever the caterpillars feel threatened. Normally these organs are hidden.
• I thought this was a Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar, but then I read Spicebush Swallowtails are only found in Eastern US. If you can identify this Indian species, do leave a note in the comment. We will include your name in the species identifier above.

Notes from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swallowtail_butterfly

• Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies which form the family Papilionidae. The family includes the largest butterflies in the world.
• There are at least 550 species, and though the majority are tropical, members of the family are found on all continents except Antarctica.
• The adults are often tailed like the forked tail of some swallows, giving the insect its name.