Papilio indra
# Papilio indra

Papilio indra, the Indra swallowtail, short-tailed black swallowtail, or cliff swallowtail, is a western North American butterfly in the family Papilionidae.

## Description

The Indra swallowtail is a black swallowtail similar in coloration to the black swallowtail and the short-tailed swallowtail. It has very short tails and has dark blue crescents on the topside of the hindwing.

## Habitat

This butterfly may be found in rugged, arid, or mountainous countrysides.

## Flight

The Indra swallowtail has one brood per year and is on the wing in spring in southern or lower altitudes but early summer in northern or higher altitudes.

## Subspecies

Listed alphabetically:

There is an as-yet unnamed subspecies that has been referred to as bonnevillensis by some and as the "Utah-West Desert segregate" by others.

* P. i. calcicola Emmel & Griffin, 1998
* P. i. fordi Comstock & Martin, 1956
* P. i. indra Reakirt, 1866
* P. i. kaibabensis Bauer, 1955
* P. i. martini T. & J. Emmel, 1966
* P. i. minori Cross, 1936
* P. i. nevadensis T. & J. Emmel, 1971
* P. i. panamintensis Emmel, 1982
* P. i. pygmaeus J. Emmel, T. Emmel & Griffin, 1998
* P. i. pergamus H. Edwards, 1874
* P. i. phyllisae J. Emmel, 1982
* P. i. shastensis Emmel & Emmel, 1998

## Food plants

Parsley family.

