# Scarce swallowtail (*Iphiclides podalirius*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/scarce-swallowtail  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The scarce swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius) is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup, placed in the family Papilionidae of the order Lepidoptera. It is also called the Sail swallowtail or Pear-tree swallowtail, and its scientific name carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758). The species belongs to the genus Iphiclides and the superfamily Papilionoidea, within the class Insecta and phylum Arthropoda. It is a living species, and its global IUCN Red List category is Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 6 cm – 9 cm |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Scavenger |
| Main food | flowers |
| Habitat | forest, grassland, rocky, shrubland |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| On the wing | March to October |
| Generations a year | Several |
| Larval food plants | Rosaceae family |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Arthropoda
- class: Insecta
- order: Lepidoptera
- family: Papilionidae
- genus: Iphiclides
- species: *Iphiclides podalirius* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Equites podalirius*, *Iphiclides podalirius*, *Papilio flammaeus*, *Papilio podalirius*, *Papilio podalirius*, *Papilio podalirius nigrescens*, *Papilio podalirius smyrnensis*, *Papilio sinon*, *Papilio virgatus*, *Papilis podalirius*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the scarce swallowtail?

The scarce swallowtail is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup. It belongs to the family Papilionidae in the order Lepidoptera.

### What is the scientific name of the scarce swallowtail?

Its scientific name is Iphiclides podalirius, and it is placed in the genus Iphiclides.

### Who named Iphiclides podalirius and when?

The scientific name authority is (Linnaeus, 1758).

### Is the scarce swallowtail endangered?

No. Its global IUCN Red List category is Least Concern (LC), which is not a threatened category.

### What other names does the scarce swallowtail have?

It is also called the Sail swallowtail and the Pear-tree swallowtail.

### Is the scarce swallowtail extinct?

No, it is a living species according to the Catalogue of Life.

## Sources

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [LepTraits 1.0: a globally comprehensive dataset of butterfly traits](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19874602.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Shirey, V., Larsen, E., Doherty, A. et al. (2022) LepTraits 1.0: a globally comprehensive dataset of butterfly traits. Scientific Data 9: 382. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01473-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19874602.v1
- [TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844), CC BY 4.0, 2.0. Chauvier, Y., Adde, A., Bergamini, A. et al. (2025) TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Scarce swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/scarce-swallowtail