Giant Blue Swallowtail vs Northern Flower Longhorn

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Giant Blue Swallowtail Northern Flower Longhorn
Scientific Name Papilio zalmoxis Pachyta lamed
Order Lepidoptera Coleoptera
Family Papilionidae Cerambycidae
Size 140-170 mm wingspan 12-20 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Omnivores Root Feeders
Regions West and Central Africa (Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, DRC, Ghana) Scandinavia, Russia, Siberia, northern Japan
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Giant Blue Swallowtail

One of the largest and most spectacular butterflies in Africa, with a wingspan exceeding 150 mm. The wings are brilliant pale blue with dark margins. It is a powerful flier that inhabits the canopy of primary rainforests.

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Did You Know?

This magnificent butterfly rarely descends below 20 meters, spending most of its life soaring through the forest canopy.

Northern Flower Longhorn

A robust flower longhorn with black elytra bearing variable yellow-orange markings, found in boreal and montane conifer forests. Larvae develop in roots of spruce and pine. Adults visit flowers in forest clearings during midsummer.

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Did You Know?

The species name lamed refers to the Hebrew letter, due to the L-shaped marking on each elytron.