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Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Infraclass: Neoptera
Order: Lepidoptera
Suborder: Ditrysia
Infraorder: Rhopalocera
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Tribe: Papilionini
Genus: Papilio
SubGenus: Achillides
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Papilionidae
The family Papilionidae (swallowtails) has three sub-families; the Papilioniinae, the Parnassiinae and the Baroniinae. Parnassiinae are primarily sub arctic or alpine in distribution and typically small, white with black and red spots, and no tails. Baroniinae are represented by only a single species, within its own tribe (Baronini).
Swallowtails can also be divided into six tribes (tribe names end in the suffix "-ini"). Parnassiini and Zerynthiini are both within the sub-family Parnassiinae, while the remaining three fall into the sub-family Papilioniinae
Leptocircinini - The swordtails or kite swallowtails
Parnassiini - The Parnassians Primarily alpine arctic distribution
Zerynthiini - the tigers restricted to Europe/Asia
Baroniini - The Barons - only one species is known from this odd tribe. It is felt to be ancestral as it shares some characteristics with the other tribes, and is similar to some of the earliest fossil butterflies that have been discovered (dating to the Eocene period 48 million years ago). Fossils more recent than 40 million years old are actually quite similar to many currently recognised genera and species. More primitive "butterflies" have been found in fossils going back to the late Cretaceous period, 130 to 95 million years ago. Insects themselves predate dinosaurs, first arising in the Devonian period some 395 million years ago!
Troidiini - the Aristolochia eaters - The larvae of most species in this group feed on plants in the toxic Aristolochia genus (of which there are many species around the world). It is widely held that the adults are then toxic to birds and other predators, much the way a monarch is distasteful because its larva eats the milkweed plant. Many of the Troidini are involved in complex mimicry rings making them an often confusing group.
Papilioniini - the "true" swallowtails. Includes the well known "old world swallowtail (Papilio machaon)," the black and the tiger swallowtails (Papilio polyxenes and Papilio glaucus) from North America, and many large and showy species.
The Achillides group is a subgenus of the family Papilionidae. All members of this group have varying degrees of green or blue scales on the top side of their wings.
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