Midsummer Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio sp.)

Member of Family: Papilionidae

The taxonomy of this entity remains unclear, but it has most often been interpreted to be a hybrid of Eastern and Canadian Tiger Swallowtail. It occurs in a broad band across Southern and Eastern Ontario, partially overlapping with the northern range edge of Eastern Tigers and the southern range edge of Canadian Tigers. Though unconfirmed to date, it probably ranges into Western Quebec as well. Visually, it more closely resembles the Eastern Tiger than the Canadian Tiger. The Canadian Tiger has a single generation that flies in the May/June Timeframe in most of its range (in Ontario). The Eastern Tiger has two flights - one in May/June, and another starting in about the August time frame. I coined the name "Midsummer Tiger" because across much of its range, this Hybrid Tiger emerges in late June to early July - right around the time when Canadian Tigers and first generation Eastern Tigers are on the wane.

To see where this butterfly has been reported in Ontario, visit: The Ontario Butterfly Atlas Online

For further info on this butterfly - sometimes referred to as the "Hybrid Tiger" visit this link, but for more information about recent research on the taxonomy of the Tiger Swallowtail group in Ontario, visit this summary page on the TEA website.