Graphium macleayanus

Graphium macleayanus (Leach, 1814)
(one synonym: Papilio scottianus)
PAPILIONIDAE
Macleay's Swallowtail

Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
and
Stewart Newman & Stella Crossley

Graphium macleayanus
early instar
(Photo: courtesy of Wes Jenkinson)

This species was probably named after Alexander Macleay, a great international entomologist, and at that time (1814) the chairman of the Linnean Society of London. Later he emigrated to Australia, taking his great insect collection with him, and using it to found the Macleay Museum at the University of Sydney.

The Caterpillar is green with a humped thorax. Initially it has a black hump and a black forked tail. Later it becomes plain green with small white dots over the body, and two narrow yellow lines along the back. It feeds on the foliage various species of Sassafras:

Tasmanian Sassafras ( Atherosperma moschatum, MONIMIACEAE ),

Socketwood ( Daphnandra micrantha, MONIMIACEAE ),

Scentless Sassafras ( Daphnandra repandula, MONIMIACEAE ),

Australian Sassafras ( Doryphora sassafras, MONIMIACEAE ),

and Australian native Pepper trees:

Tasmanian Pepper ( Tasmannia lanceolata, WINTERACEAE ),

Alpine Pepper ( Tasmannia xerophila, WINTERACEAE ).

and various other subtropical trees, including:

Camphor Laurel ( Cinnamomum camphora, LAURACEAE ),

Rose Maple ( Cryptocarya erythroxylon, LAURACEAE ),

White Walnut ( Cryptocarya hypospodia, LAURACEAE ),

Three veined Cryptocarya ( Cryptocarya triplinervis, LAURACEAE ),

Domatia Tree ( Endiandra discolor, LAURACEAE ),

Hairy Walnut ( Endiandra pubens, LAURACEAE ), and

Glasswood ( Geijera salicifolia, RUTACEAE ).

The caterpillar grows to a length of about 4 cms.

pupa
(Photo: courtesy of Wes Jenkinson)

The pupa is green with thin pale lines and a peaked thorax. It suspended from a cremaster and girdle on the underside of foodplant leaf.

adult feeding on nectar
the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
(Photo: courtesy of Martin Purvis)

The adult butterflies have a wing span around 8 cms. The upperside of the wings is green with black and white markings. Unusually for butterflies. the legs are also green.

camouflaged adult feeding on nectar,
on Pittosporum undulatum, Kulnura ridgeline, Wyong Shire, NSW
(Photo: courtesy of Boris Branwhite, Wyong Shire, New South Wales)

Males congregate around hilltops, where they can be seen defending their territory from rival males and courting passing females. We used to watch them flying above the eucalypts at the highest point of a local hill. They rarely came down to a catchable height.