Animalia > Arthropoda > Insecta > Lepidoptera > Papilionidae > Protographium > Protographium marcellusProtographium marcellus (Zebra Swallowtail)Synonyms: Eurytides marcellus (homotypic); Papilio ajax Protographium marcellus, the zebra swallowtail, (formerly listed under genera Eurytides, Iphiclides, Graphium and Papilio by some authorities) is a swallowtail butterfly native to the eastern United States and southeast Canada. Its distinctive wing shape and long tails make it easy to identify, and its black-and-white-striped pattern is reminiscent of a zebra. The butterflies are closely associated with pawpaws, and are rarely found far from these trees. The green or black caterpillars feed on the leaves of various pawpaw species, while the adults feed on flower nectar and minerals from damp soil. |
| Wing Span [1] | 1.535 inches (.039 m) |
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Habitat Vegetation Classification |
| Name |
Location |
Website |
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Black Oak - White Oak - Hickory Forest |
United States (Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana); Canada (Ontario) |
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Interior Low Plateau Beech - Maple Forest |
United States (Indiana, Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky) |
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Southern Red Oak - Mixed Oak Forest |
United States (Tennessee, Illinois, Kentucky) |
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Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0
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