Zebra Swallowtail

The Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus) butterfly is our singular native representative of the kite swallowtails (tribe Leptocircini) in Florida. In most places they are a rare sight, since they're not often seen far away from their host plant (pawpaw), which has specific growing requirements and can be difficult to add to a home garden. These butterflies have a fairly triangular shape and taper to a point with long swallowtails on their hind wings, with their common name coming from the zebra-like striping on their wings.

The Zebra Swallowtail hosts on Pawpaw (Asimina), which tends to grow in undisturbed upland habitants. The caterpillars are variable in coloring, changing in color and pattern from one instar to the next and are armed with bright yellow osmeterium.

Zebra Swallowtail adults exhibit seasonal dimorphism which means that their wing patterns are variable and change seasonally. Early spring individuals are smaller in size, have more white coloring and have shorter tails. Later season individuals are larger, show more black coloring and have much longer swallowtails. Adult male Zebra Swallowtails can often be found in groups sipping liquids from moist sandy areas, a behavior known as puddling.