Butterflies through Binoculars: The East. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Sodium:A male moth's gift to its offspring" (PDF). OH: College of Biological Sciences and The Ohio State University. ^ a b c d e f Cech, Rick Tudor, Guy (2005).Big Sky Institute at Montana State University. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies. ^ a b c d Pyle, Robert Michael (1981).New York City, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0 Eurytides marcellus Zebra Swallowtail".The chrysalis hibernates in areas of its range with cold winters. Three small horns project from the head and thorax. The chrysalis is either green or brown, and is more compact compared to chrysalids in the genus Papilio. The larva has a yellow, foul-smelling, forked gland called an osmeterium which it will use to deter predators, especially spiders and ants. In both forms, between the swollen thorax and the abdomen, there is a yellow, black, and bluish-white band. The more common form is green with yellow and white transverse stripes the rarer form is black and banded with white and orange. Young caterpillars are black with lighter colored transverse stripes. The round egg is pale green, later turning orange brown. Since the caterpillars are cannibalistic, females lay their eggs singly on pawpaw leaves or on the tree trunks. Other food sources include rotting fruit and urine. These nutrients aid the male in reproduction. Males participate in a behavior known as puddling, in which individuals congregate on sand, gravel, or moist soil to obtain salts and amino acids. Both males and females avidly visit flowers, including species from the families Apocynaceae, Brassicaceae, Fabaceae, Lythraceae, Polemoniaceae, and Rosaceae. Females will fly slowly when searching for suitable host plants. They usually fly 0.5 to 1.8 meters (2 to 6 ft) above the ground. Males will patrol near host plants in search of females, flying swiftly and directly. It has two broods in the north and three to four in the south, with the first brood being the most numerous. The zebra swallowtail can be seen from late March to August in the northern portion of its range and from February to December in the southern portion. Summer forms are larger, have broader black stripes, and longer, black tails with white edges. Spring forms are smaller, more white, and have short, black tails with white tips. marcellus has two seasonal forms, one occurring in the spring and the other in the summer. A red stripe runs along the middle of the ventral hindwing. The inner margin of the hindwing has two blue spots on the corner and a red spot near the body. A pair of swordlike tails extend from the hindwings. The triangular wings are white to greenish white with black longitudinal stripes. The zebra swallowtail has a wingspan of 6.4 to 10.4 cm (2.5 to 4.1 in). 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. The butterflies are closely associated with pawpaws, and are rarely found far from these trees. 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 Butterfly Garden is open year-round.Eurytides marcellus, the zebra swallowtail (formerly listed under genera Protographium, Iphiclides, Graphium and Papilio by some authorities), is a swallowtail butterfly native to the eastern United States and south-eastern Canada. The Butterfly house has all native butterflies, and is open from mid-May through September. Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary - Includes the Native Texas Butterfly Garden & House.South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center in Corpus Christi.Cockerell Butterfly Center, at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
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