The Giant Swallowtail

Papilio cresphontes Cramer

Color:

The body of P. cresphontes is yellow with a bark brown head and thorax, dorsal side. The upper and lower wings are dark brown, on the dorsal side, with a distinctive yellow band down the middle of each. There are yellow spots running down the edges of each wing with red and blue spots located near the tails of the lower wings. On the ventral side, all four wings are primarily yellow with brown accents located laterally (Klots, 1979, 173).

Size:

The Giant Swallowtail is on average 4.5-5.5 inches in width (Klots, 1979, 173), and 4.0-5.0 inches in height.