Papilio astyalus
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
Papilio astyalus, the broad-banded swallowtail or Astyalus swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found from Mexico south to Argentina. It is occasionally reported from southern Texas and rare strays can be found up to southern Arizona and northern Texas.
The wingspan is 117–120 mm. In the male the wings are black, on the obverse the forewings are crossed by a wide yellow band crossed by black veins. There is a small yellow macula in the cell and a series of yellow macules in the submarginal part. The hindwings bear tails, a yellow band in the extension of that of the forewings, submarginal yellow macules, and an orange-red ocellus surmounted by an iridescent blue lunule in the anal angle. On the reverse the wings have similar patterns but the cell of the fore wings is striped with yellow and the black part of the hind wings is smaller. The hindwings also bear a series of iridescent blue lunules surmounted by orange-red lunules.
The female is darker, and lacks the broad yellow band present in the male. On the obverse the forewings are dark brown, paler in the submarginal part and bear a series of submarginal yellow macules. The hindwings are dark brown with a series of submarginal red, iridescent blue and yellow macules, an orange ocellus in the anal angle and more reduced tails. The reverse is similar, but the blue spots are more reduced and are surmounted by orange-red lunules.
Male has yellow body below and flanks but black above, female has black body.Very similar to Papilio thersites. Adults are on wing from April to October. There are probably two generations per year. The larvae feed on the leaves of Citrus trees. Adults feed on the nectar of various flowers, including Lantana species. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 2 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Belo Horizonte | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report an Astyalus Swallowtail sighting in Iguazú National Park on a given day, based on 159 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 17th most-seen of the 306 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, September and November
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report an Astyalus Swallowtail in Iguazú National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June, the lowest month.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Astyalus Swallowtail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Astyalus Swallowtail sightings, Iguazú National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Iguaçu National Park (Brazil, about 30%).
Same genus: Papilio
The closest relatives of the Astyalus Swallowtail that you can see in Iguazú National Park (genus Papilio, Common Swallowtails) are Thoas Swallowtail (about 40%), Ruby-Spotted Swallowtail (about 20%) and Androgeus Swallowtail (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Astyalus Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Iguazú National Park (159 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
