Five-bar Swordtail vs Tormus Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Five-bar Swordtail Tormus Bee
Scientific Name Graphium antiphates Perdita minima
Order Lepidoptera Hymenoptera
Family Papilionidae Andrenidae
Size 75-100 mm wingspan, tails up to 25 mm 1.5-2 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Deserts & Drylands
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Philippines) Southwestern United States
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.

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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.

Tormus Bee

The smallest known bee in the world at under 2 mm in length. It is a solitary ground-nesting species found in the southwestern US deserts.

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Did You Know?

It is so tiny that it could comfortably fit inside the letter O on a printed page.