Five-bar Swordtail vs River Jewelwing

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Five-bar Swordtail River Jewelwing
Scientific Name Graphium antiphates Calopteryx aequabilis
Order Lepidoptera Odonata
Family Papilionidae Calopterygidae
Size 75-100 mm wingspan, tails up to 25 mm 42-54 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Rivers & Streams
Diet Nectar Feeders Omnivores
Regions Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Philippines) North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Five-bar Swordtail

An elegant swallowtail with pale creamy-white wings crossed by bold black zebra-like stripes and exceptionally long, narrow sword-shaped tails. It is a swift, darting flier.

💡

Did You Know?

It is one of the fastest-flying butterflies in Southeast Asia and is notoriously difficult to catch due to its erratic zigzag flight pattern.

River Jewelwing

A North American damselfly with narrow dark wing tips in males and a metallic green body. It prefers faster-flowing rivers than the Ebony Jewelwing.

💡

Did You Know?

Males have dark tips on otherwise clear wings, the reverse pattern of most other jewelwings.