Papilionidae
Papilionidae
[pə‚pil·ē′än·ə‚dē] (invertebrate zoology)
A family of lepidopteran insects in the superfamily Papilionoidea; members are the only butterflies with fully developed forelegs bearing an epiphysis.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Papilionidae
a family of butterflies. Papilionids are usually large, with a wingspread reaching 25 cm (for example, Papilio homerus). The coloration is bright and extremely varied; some tropical species, such as those of the genus Ornithoptera, have a metallic sheen. The hind wings often have a tail-like prolongation. Papilionids are distributed throughout the world but are particularly numerous in the tropics. There are approximately 550 species. The USSR has more than 30 species, including the apollo butterfly (Parnassius apollo), the swallowtail (Papilio machaon), and Iphiclides, or Papilio, podalirius.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.