CreatureData

Western emperor swallowtail

Papilio menestheus Drury, [1773]

Status not recordedbutterflies and moths

The western emperor swallowtail (Papilio menestheus) is a species in the family Papilionidae, order Lepidoptera.

No freely licensed photo yet

Quick facts about the western emperor swallowtail

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forest
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
On the wing
July, November
Larval food plants
Rutaceae family
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the western emperor swallowtail live?

Not recorded

Is the western emperor swallowtail endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the western emperor swallowtail classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumArthropoda
  3. classInsecta
  4. orderLepidoptera
  5. familyPapilionidae
  6. genusPapilio
  7. SpeciesPapilio menestheus Drury, [1773]

Synonyms Papilio menestheus canui

Other names and names in other languages (1)
  • マルバネサカハチアゲハJapanese

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the western emperor swallowtail

Other species in the same genus Papilio.

Orange dog

Papilio demodocus

PapilionidaeNo free photo yet

CompareWestern emperor swallowtail vs SwallowtailWestern emperor swallowtail vs Lemon butterflyWestern emperor swallowtail vs Alexanor swallowtailWestern emperor swallowtail vs Orange dog

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

What kind of animal is the western emperor swallowtail?

The western emperor swallowtail (Papilio menestheus) belongs to the family Papilionidae in the order Lepidoptera.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Western emperor swallowtail (Papilio menestheus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/papilio-menestheus

MLA

“Western emperor swallowtail (Papilio menestheus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/papilio-menestheus.

BibTeX
@misc{papilio_menestheus_2026,
  title = {Western emperor swallowtail (Papilio menestheus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/papilio-menestheus},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}