Gigantic Anise Swallowtails

Our brood of enormous Anise Swallowtails (Papilio zelicaon) are now eclosing into adults and have incredible wing spans, much larger than the upper ends listed in most field guides.

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A couple of weeks ago, we were rearing a nice group of enormous Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon) fifth instar caterpillars that we had raised from wild caught eggs. They must of had some incredible genetics because they all seemed to be larger in size than average. At the time, these monstrous caterpillars were feeding quite crazily on sweet fennel flowers and immature seeds (Foeniculum vulgare). Really, these were some of the largest Anise caterpillars we had ever seen, and we have raised thousands of them over four years! 

This week, they finally have begun to eclose. As expected, they are some of the largest butterflies we have ever reared, most definitely bigger than the usual. Some of the males are so huge that at first glance they could easily be mistaken for females (females are typically much larger than the males). And, of course, some of the actual females were quite record breaking. (Actually, we have never kept official records of all of our Anise Swallowtail wing spans, but these sure seem like they could be records!) They all measure over 4 inches, as shown in the photo below. The upper end rated by most field guides is only 3-3.5 inches! We swear these females are no smaller than some of the Western Tiger Swallowtails we have seen, which are supposed to be much larger.

- Brian