Homerus swallowtail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Homerus swallowtail |
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The Papilio homerus, also known as the Homerus swallowtail or Jamaican swallowtail, is the biggest butterfly in the Western Hemisphere. This amazing butterfly is an endangered species, meaning it's at risk of disappearing forever. Sadly, only two small groups of Homerus swallowtails are left in a tiny part of their original home.
This butterfly lives only in Jamaica (it's endemic to Jamaica). It's a symbol of national pride there, but it also shows how much we need to protect nature. For over 50 years, the Jamaican swallowtail has been on stamps and even on the Jamaican $1000 bill!
But its home is being destroyed quickly by people, and some people illegally collect these butterflies. Because of these threats, the Jamaican swallowtail is listed as a threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (Red List). It's also protected by laws both in Jamaica and around the world.
The butterfly is named after the ancient Greek poet Homer. Scientists describe the adult butterfly as "huge and magnificent." Female butterflies are larger than males. Their wings can spread up to 15 cm (6 in) wide! You can see adults flying from morning until afternoon high up in the trees of Jamaica's rainforests. Their wings are brownish-black with a big yellow band and blue and red spots, making them easy to spot from far away.
Because there are so few of these butterflies and their forest homes are hard to reach, not many studies have been done. This means we don't know much about their basic biology or how they behave. Researchers agree that we need to study them more to figure out the best ways to protect them and help them survive.
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Geographic Range and Habitat
The P. homerus lives only in Jamaica, which is in the Neotropical realm. It used to live in half of Jamaica's 14 parishes. But today, you can only find it in two or maybe three small areas. Most researchers say there are only two main groups left. However, one expert believes there are three: a central, an eastern, and a western group.
Central Population
The central group of butterflies has most likely disappeared. The last time anyone saw a P. homerus in this area was in 1925. This group is also the least understood. The area where they lived was a plateau about 600 to 1,000 m (2,000–3,300 ft) high. This central group was about 70 km away from the other two groups. It probably helped butterflies from different areas mix their genes, which is important for keeping a population healthy.
This group was lost because people destroyed their habitat. With deforestation (cutting down forests) and new buildings growing near the remaining forests, the area became drier. If the air isn't humid enough (less than 100% humidity), young butterflies (pupae) can have problems developing. The loss of this group is a big problem for the other two groups of butterflies.
Western Population
This group lives in the Cockpit Country, which is a mountainous area with many caves. This population is safer from human activity because the land is so difficult to travel through. Because it's hard to get to, it's also harder to study. This area gets less rain than the Eastern population's home. A small group can be found near Pitfour Boulevard, outside the Nyahbinghi Rastafarian Centre in Pitfour, close to Montego Bay.
Eastern Population
This is the most studied of the three groups. This group lives where the Blue Mountains and the John Crow Mountains meet. This area is perfect for the Papilio homerus. It has lots of the plants they need and gets plenty of rain, which keeps the humidity high.
Life Cycle
The Homerus swallowtail goes through several stages as it grows, just like other butterflies.
Eggs
When the female butterfly lays her eggs, they are smooth, round, and white. They are about 1.5 to 2.0 mm wide. The eggs are laid on the leaves of a host plant. They change color from light green to yellow, and then to dark brown before they hatch.
Larvae
The young larvae (caterpillars) look like bird droppings. They are dark brown with a white lower belly. This helps them hide from animals that might want to eat them.
- The first stage (called an instar) lasts five days. The larva is 9mm long and has tiny bristles on its body.
- The second instar also lasts five days. The bristles are smaller, and the larva grows to 15mm. Its chest area (thoracic region) gets bigger.
- The third instar lasts nine days. The larva grows to 26mm and starts to show eyespots on its chest.
- In the fourth instar, the larva turns green. Its chest is swollen, and the eyespots are colorful. This stage lasts ten days, and the larva grows to 40mm.
- The fifth instar looks like the fourth but has even brighter colors. The green color and eyespots also help it hide from animals that want to eat it.
All larvae have special organs called osmeteria. These look like a snake's forked tongue and can scare off predators. They are pink in the first three stages and bright red in the last two. Larvae only show them when they feel threatened.
Pupae
The pupae (the stage before becoming an adult butterfly) can be dark gray, brown and green, or just brown. They all have several white spots. Pupae can be over 40mm long and 18.5mm wide. They have been seen on the branches of Hernandia plants and ferns in the wild. The pupal stage lasts from 10 to 14 days.
Adults
The top side of the adult butterfly's wing is dark brown with a bright yellow band on both wings. The large, rounded hind wing also has powder-blue spots. The underside of the wing is also dark brown but has a lighter yellow band.
Male and female adults generally have the same colors and patterns, but there are some differences. Females are larger than males. Females also have brighter blue and yellow colors. Adult butterflies are thought to live only a few weeks in the wild. In a lab, they have lived for up to six days.
Host Plants
Adult Homerus swallowtails drink nectar from various flowers. These include L. camara and H. rosasinensis. They also feed on plants found only in Jamaica, like Hernandia catalpaefolia and H. jamaicensis. Both male and female butterflies have been seen feeding on nectar, which means they will feed on whatever flowers are available. There are no reports of them eating other types of food.
Larval Food Plant
The plants H. catalpaefolia and H. jamaicensis used to be known as the main food plants for the larvae (caterpillars). However, it seems these plants are now harder to find. Currently, scientists haven't officially confirmed a specific plant that the larvae eat. But, females have been seen laying eggs on Ocotea species plants. These plants are found in all three areas where the Jamaican swallowtail populations have recently lived.
Larval Behavior
When new larvae hatch from their eggs, they eat their eggshell first. Then, they start eating the leaf where they hatched. Usually, you'll find larvae alone, but sometimes up to five larvae might share the same leaf. When larvae reach their fourth stage (instar), they move to younger leaves to feed. Larvae have also been seen drinking water droplets after heavy rains.
Adult Behavior
You can spot the Jamaican swallowtail during the daytime, from about nine in the morning to two in the afternoon. In the morning, they can be seen resting in the sunlight on top of trees and bushes. They also feed on nectar from different flowers. Adult Jamaican swallowtails can fly very high (up to 550m) and glide quickly on wind currents. They are active all year round, but you see them least from November to March.
Female butterflies fly closer to the leaves. They are looking for food and good places to lay their eggs. Females lay single eggs on the top surface of young leaves, not in clusters. Sometimes, up to four eggs have been seen on a single leaf. Eggs are most often found on leaves that are one to three meters off the forest floor.
Male butterflies can be seen flying high along the canopy (the top layer of the forest). They do this to protect their territory.
Migration
Adult butterflies can be seen flying and gliding from 8 am to 4 pm every day. Scientists don't fully understand if they have a daily migration pattern. However, one report mentions a daily vertical migration. This means adults fly down from the mountain tops to just above river beds. This happens from 1 pm to 3 pm. But this daily migration hasn't been seen or recorded since that first observation.
One researcher also noticed a seasonal migration. Adults can be found on the cooler mountain tops from April to August each year. When the temperature drops below 67°F, adults fly down to lower parts of the mountains. Here, there is more food, and the temperature is generally warmer. This seasonal vertical migration is about 1000 feet in altitude.
Male-Male Competition
Male Jamaican swallowtails fight over their territories. A territory is usually a clear area in the forest with lots of nectar-rich plants. Adult males usually fly in circles around their territory every 15 minutes to check it. When another male tries to enter their territory, they will fight. The resident male will chase the invading male. These fights often involve a horizontal spiraling chase. The fight between competing males usually lasts about 20 minutes. The male who lives there wins about 78% of the time. Males can get serious wing damage from these aggressive fights.
Mating
Only one time has mating been seen in the wild. A researcher saw a male and female butterfly resting together. They stayed in that position for 25 minutes before flying off, with the male following the female into the dense forest. They were resting on a leaf of a common bamboo tree. We don't know how long the actual mating lasted because no one saw when it started. Also, no one has ever recorded how these butterflies act when they are trying to find a mate (their courtship behavior).
Parasitoids and Predators
A parasitoid is an organism that lives inside another organism (its host) for a long time. The parasitoid uses the host's body to grow and develop, which eventually kills the host.
A study in 1992 found that 77% of Homerus swallowtail eggs were infected by parasitoids. This is a huge threat to the remaining butterfly populations. The two most common parasitoid species are a type of encyrtid (Ooencytrus sp.) and a type of eulophid (Chrysonotomyta sp.). Other things can also kill eggs, like ants eating them or fungal infections.
Bacterial infections are the main cause of death for larvae. Birds, insects, and lizards have also been seen eating larvae and adults.
Because the butterfly is so big and beautiful, illegal poaching (hunting or collecting animals illegally) has also threatened the remaining groups of Jamaican swallowtails. However, more people know about the butterfly now, and there are legal protections, which have greatly reduced illegal collecting.
Conservation
The Homerus swallowtail is a very special butterfly that needs our help to survive.
Population Estimates
One researcher estimated that the eastern population had fewer than 50 adult butterflies. This was figured out using a method called mark and recapture. No one has tried to estimate the size of the other populations.
Looking at old records of P. homerus sightings, it seems the number of adults found in the wild hasn't gone down. However, the population is still greatly threatened by habitat loss, destruction, and climate change.
Field observations show more males than females. But in the lab, the number of males and females is usually about the same. The reason more males are seen in the wild is probably because they fly high and patrol territories, making them easier to spot and catch.
Species Status
Because there are so few adult butterflies left and their habitat is shrinking, the species is considered and protected as a threatened species in several ways. It is listed in the IUCN Red Data Book. It is also legally protected under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and Jamaica's Wildlife Act of 1998.
Conservation Efforts
Besides the legal protections, biologists are working to protect the remaining butterflies. Jamaica has made its National Park system bigger to include the habitats of the two populations. This helps protect their homes from being destroyed by human development.
One researcher has suggested a big plan to save the butterfly. This plan includes more research to get better estimates of how many butterflies there are and how their populations change. He also wants more studies on their habitat and the threats they face. This will help us understand how to give them enough space and protection. Finally, he suggests creating a "refugium" population. This means raising butterflies in a controlled environment and then releasing them back into the wild. This, along with continued efforts to teach local people about the butterfly and its situation, could help create a more stable and present population of P. homerus in its home country.
Habitat Loss and Destruction
Losing their habitat is a major worry because the Jamaican landscape is changing quickly. Even though the rate of deforestation is low (0.1%), it's still a big threat. The Jamaican government has been planting single types of fast-growing pine trees, replacing native rainforests to meet the region's need for fuel.
Habitat destruction has been worst for the central population of the Jamaican swallowtail. Human development changes the local environment, including making it less humid. Cutting down forests and building near the rainforest has helped wipe out that population.
In the Eastern and Western populations, habitat destruction isn't as direct a threat. The Eastern population has little human development, and heavy rains often destroy any new farms. The Western population is protected because farmers don't allow local traffic, and the terrain is very difficult to travel through.
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