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Butterfly Garden

Yellow-Bodied Black Female Tiger Swallowtail

12 years ago

This female tiger swallowtail has been visiting my garden for the past several days. She's black form, but her body has the yellow stripes like a yellow female, instead of the totally sooty black body -

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She kept moving around, and I couldn't get a total picture of her body, but the yellow stripes run up onto her head.

I've seen and made pictures of female tigers that were intermediate between the two forms in their wing coloring - VERY odd looking - but this is the first time I've seen one with an odd body.

Maybe I'll next see a yellow female tiger with a totally black body? :)

Sherry

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Comments (5)

ladobe
12 years ago
Hey Sherry,
Not uncommon for species that exhibit genetic polymorphism/sexual dimorphism to have variations occur as various stages between the pure forms. Since you take such great pictures, I'm patiently waiting for you to post one of this species that is a bilateral gynandromorph or even a mosaic. ;)
Larry
MissSherry
Original Author
12 years ago
Hehehe!!!

Maybe one will show up when I get my new camera, Larry! :)

Sherry
butterflymomok
12 years ago
Sherry,

Like you and Larry said, there are so many variations. Here's a photo I took at wildlife refuge about an hour from my house. This female has more yellow undertones than most black forms. This couple "danced" around the thistles for quite some time. It was beautiful to watch them.

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Sandy
christie_sw_mo
12 years ago
Cool Sherry! I think all the female tigers I've seen here this summer have been the dark form but I can't recall seeing any with a yellow body. I will watch more closely now.
MissSherry
Original Author
12 years ago
The yellow-bodied black tiger keeps returning to my garden, and I got a much better picture of her body. She's getting a little tattered -
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I still haven't found a single tiger cat this year. Maybe I will eventually, since she spends so much time here.
Sherry

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?what to do with this little guy?

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