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Papilionidae (Kite Swallowtails)•Egg to adult: 35 days

Zebra Swallowtail

Protographium marcellus

Quick Rearing Snapshot & Biology Overview

Rearing and biology notes for Zebra Swallowtail

Instant Answers
Host Plants

Pawpaw (Asimina triloba), Smallflower Pawpaw (Asimina parviflora), Dwarf Pawpaw (Asimina pygmaea)

Life Cycle Time

~35 Days total (Egg → Butterfly)

Winter Behavior

Pupal Diapause (Does Not Migrate)

Pupation Anchor

Girdle / Twig Sling

Thermal Degree-Day Hatch SimulatorInteractive

Slide ambient temperature to see how heat accelerates metamorphosis for Zebra Swallowtail

75°F / 24°C
65°F (Cool / Slow)75°F (Optimal Room Temp)85°F (Warm / Fast)
Egg Incubation~5 Days
Larval Instars~16 Days
Chrysalis / Pupa~14 Days
Total Metamorphosis~35 Days

*Calculated via standard insect thermal summation models (base threshold 50°F / 10°C).

PLATE XII • FIG. 12A•Taxonomic Plate • ADULT

Zebra Swallowtail

Protographium marcellus (Cramer, 1777) — Papilionidae • Leptocircini

5 cm Scale
•
Sword-Like Elongate Tails
•
Carmine Red Anal Patch
•
Transverse Zebra Bands
Key Diagnostic Field Identifiers:
  • Stark alternating zebra pattern of black and creamy white-green transverse stripes
  • Extraordinarily long, slender, sword-like tails tipped with pure white
  • Vivid carmine-red triangular dagger patch on the inner hindwing margin
  • Two sky-blue crescent lunules along the outer hindwing edge
  • Obligate larval dependence on native Pawpaw trees (Asimina triloba)
:5 Days
:16 Days
:14 Days
:~35 Days

Larval Host Flora:

Silo 02 Botany

Only supply fresh, pesticide-free foliage from these verified native botanical species:

  • •Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)
  • •Smallflower Pawpaw (Asimina parviflora)
  • •Dwarf Pawpaw (Asimina pygmaea)

Key Husbandry Tips

Silo 04 Husbandry
  • •Obligate specialist on native Pawpaw (Annonaceae family) — larvae cannot digest any other plant species.
  • •Pawpaw foliage sequesters annonaceous acetogenins, conferring unpalatability to bird predators.
  • •Larva is smooth pea-green (or dark melanic brown) with a bold yellow-and-black transverse collar behind the head.
  • •Spring morph adults emerging from overwintered chrysalises are smaller with shorter tails; summer morphs are much larger with grand sword tails.

Frequently Asked Questions (Zebra Swallowtail)

Direct answers to the most common rearing, diet, and metamorphosis questions

Q&A Hub
Metamorphosis typically takes ~35 days from oviposition to adult eclosion at 75°F (24°C).

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Region: Southeast, Midwest, Northeast