| Family | Papilionidae |
|---|---|
| Subfamily | Papilioninae |
| Genus | Papilio |
| Species | alexanor |
| Authority | Esper, 1800 |
| English Name | Southern Swallowtail |
| European Red List 2010 | Least Concern (LC) |
|---|---|
| EU 27 Red List 2010 | Least Concern (LC) |
| European Red List 2025 | Near Threatened (NT) |
| EU 27 Red List 2025 | Near Threatened (NT) |
| Habitats Directive | HD IV |
| Bern Convention | BC II |
| CITES |
The Southern Swallowtail is mostly found on warm, dry calcareous slopes with a flower-rich vegetation and low-growing bushes. They prefer slopes that are steep and rocky. Different foodplants are known, all of them umbellifers. Ptychotis saxifraga is the most important one in the western part of its range, but eggs are also laid on Opopanax chironium, Seseli montanum, and Trinia glauca. In the eastern part, the caterpillars feed mostly on various of fennels (Ferula spp.), and also on Opopanax hispidus, Burnet saxifrage (Pimpinella saxifraga), Scaligeria cretica, and Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa). The caterpillars eat the flowers and ripening seeds. The Southern Swallowtail is single-brooded and passes the winter in the pupa stage.
Albania / Bosnia and Herzegovina / Croatia / France / France: Mainland / Greece / Greece: Mainland / Greece: East Aegean Islands / Italy / Italy: Mainland / Italy: Sicily (Irregular Vagrant) / North Macedonia / Montenegro / Switzerland /