Papilio machaon - online puzzles

Online puzzle Papilio machaon

Papilio machaon, the Old World swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. The butterfly is also known as the common yellow swallowtail or simply the swallowtail (a common name applied to all members of the family, but this species was the first to be given the name ). It is the type species of the genus Papilio.

Etymology

Named for Machaon (ancient Greek : Μαχάων) a figure in Greek mythology. He was a son of Asclepius.

Taxonomy

Papilio machaon was named by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae in 1758, alongside nearly 200 other species of butterfly. Later, Pierre André Latreille designated it as the type species of the genus Papilio. Papilio appalachiensis and Papilio xuthus are also of the same genus. The specific epithet machaon refers to Machaon, son of Asclepius in the works of Homer.

Subspecies

There are 41 recognized subspecies, that include:

Papilio machaon gorganus is strongly migratory in Europe and may be found in almost all habitats.