Hobbies And Interests
Wings
The adult tiger swallowtail has a wingspan of about 3 1/2 to 6 1/2 inches. The common form is yellow with tiger stripes on the fore wings. The fore wings and the hind wings have dark brown margins with yellow spots on the edges that fade toward the bottom. There's a V shape at the inner margin of the hind wings, which end in the hooked tail that looks like the tail of a swallow. The wings are covered with yellow-colored scales. Some of the scales on the males send scents to attract the females.
Body
The tiger swallowtail's body is slender and furry, with a black stripe down the back. The three segments are the pro, meso and metathorax. Each has a pair of slender legs. The wings are on the meso and metathorax. It breathes through spiracles along the sides of the body. Air passes through air tubes, tracheae and air sacs and delivers oxygen to the organs and tissues. Waste gases are also expelled through the spiracles. The front spiracles are used to "breathe in" and the back spiracles are used to "breathe out."
Head, Mouthparts, Antennae
The head is round and has a pair of large compound eyes. The mouth parts include a coiled proboscis used to siphon nectar and other liquids. An unfurled proboscis can be as long as the insect's body. The antennae are long and slender and end in little bulbs. They are sensory organs that help the butterfly find food and mates.
Internal Organs
The butterfly does not have a heart like a vertebrate. It has a tube opened at both ends that sometimes pumps backwards. The blood carries nutrients but no oxygen. The butterfly's digestive system is another tube that extends through the mouth and to the anal opening. The central nervous system runs ventrally along the body wall, as opposed to dorsally (in the back). The nervous system is the brain, which is not much more than a nerve center, and the nerve cord.
Different Colors
The dark phase of the female tiger swallowtail makes it look like the poisonous pipevine swallowtail. The phase doesn't have any effect on the swallowtail, but it does deter predators. The white tiger swallowtail is mostly black with white markings. The hindwings also have a dusting of blue. The white tiger swallowtail's body is black and white striped.