Papilio polyxenes, the (eastern) black swallowtail, American swallowtail or parsnip swallowtail, is a butterfly found throughout much of North America. An extremely similar-appearing species, Papilio joanae, occurs in the Ozark Mountains region, but it appears to be closely related to Papilio machaon, rather than P. polyxenes. The species is named after the figure in Greek mythology, Polyxena, who was the youngest daughter of King Priam of Troy. Its caterpillar is called the parsley worm because the caterpillar feeds on parsley.
Image: Black Swallowtail, male, Ottawa
Image: Pristine Black Swallowtail
Ventral view - female
Caterpillar of Papilio polyxenes on Foeniculum vulgare
Papilio is a genus in the swallowtail butterfly family, Papilionidae, as well as the only representative of the tribe Papilionini. The word papilio is Latin for butterfly.
Papilio
Papilio machaon gorganus
Broad green-banded swallowtail (Papilio chrapkowskii), Kenya
Narrow blue-banded swallowtail (Papilio nireus), Uganda