Eurytides marcellus range throughout the eastern United States, although are most abundant in the southeast.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: (>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)) Central Pennsylvania west to eastern Great Plains south through most of Florida and into Texas. Very rare stragglers as far as New England.

The zebra swallowtail butterfly has a wing span of 5-9 cm. It has long, triangular wings with swordlike tails. The color and size varies between spring and summer butterflies. The early spring zebra swallowtail is smaller with pale greenish-white wings which are crossed by black stripes and bands. They also have shorter tails. The summer zebra swallowtail is larger with light blue-green wings, which are crossed by black stripes and bands, and have longer tails. The hindwings of both the spring and summer zebra swallowtail have two deep blue spots at the base and a red spot closer to the body.

Caterpillars are generally hairless. They have a forked gland called the osmeterium that can protrude from the back of the head if the butterfly is alarmed. This releases a bad smell that is used as defense mechanism. There are two color morphologies of caterpillars. The first is green with yellow and black bands, and the other is dark brown with orange and white bands.

Range wingspan: 5 to 9 cm.

Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry

The zebra swallowtail prefers corridors of wooded land alongside bodies of water such as riversides, lakeshores, marshes and open moist woods.

Habitat Regions: temperate

Terrestrial Biomes: forest

Other Habitat Features: riparian

Comments: Meadows, riversides, lakeshores and marshes; broad-leaved woodlands, virtually anywhere that pawpaw grows. Also dry pine or pine-oak woods at least in Florida with dwarf pawpaw. Almost any habitat with adequate foodplants.

Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

The zebra swallowtail rarely strays away from the habitats where various species of pawpaw are found. The common food plants for the larvae are the pawpaw and dwarf pawpaw. Some larvae will eat other caterpillars found on the same plant. The adult zebra swallowtail will eat nectar from a variety of flowers. Adults generally eat from taller flowers, because they have a long, flexible "tongue" called a proboscis and can feed from longer, tubed flowers.

Animal Foods: insects

Plant Foods: leaves; wood, bark, or stems; nectar

Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore , Nectarivore )

Note: For many non-migratory species, occurrences are roughly equivalent to populations.

Estimated Number of Occurrences: 81 to >300

10,000 to >1,000,000 individuals

In the life cycle of the butterfly, it takes about one month for the zebra swallowtail to mature from an egg to an adult. The chrysalis, or pupa, is attached to a stem or leaf by the tail and by a girdle of silk around the thorax. It hangs head upward in this position.

Development - Life Cycle: metamorphosis

An adult Eurytides marcellus butterfly can live up to 6 months in its natural environment.

Range lifespan

Status: wild: 6 (high) months.

Typical lifespan

Status: wild: 6 (high) months.

Males usually patrol places near host plants searching for females. Small aggregations of patrolling males often form close to mud puddles or moist stream banks.

Female zebra swallowtails lay their eggs singly on the underside of pawpaw leaves.

Key Reproductive Features: fertilization (Internal ); oviparous

This butterfly needs no special protective status.

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

State of Michigan List: no special status

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Degree of Threat: D : Unthreatened throughout its range, communities may be threatened in minor portions of the range or degree of variation falls within natural variation

Biological Research Needs: None.

Global Protection: Many to very many (13 to >40) occurrences appropriately protected and managed

Needs: None.

Currently it does not adversely affect humans.

Economic benefits from this species have yet to be discovered.