Finding Eggs in the Field > Eggs on Peripheral Stalks
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Papilio indra phyllisae Ovum
Papilio indra phyllisae ovum laid on ranger's buttons (Sphenosciadium capitellatum) on a stalk pointing away from the main plant. Females from many if not all P. indra subspecies will oviposit on these stalks in order to keep them as inconspicuous as possible from predators. In some habitats, where P. zelicaon flies sympatric with P. indra, some anise swallwtail females are now utilizing a similar strategy. Photo courtesy Wayne Whaley who discovered this new P. indra host plant on 24 July 2004.
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Papilio indra Ovum on Lomatium grayi depauperatum
This is an extreme example of how Papilio indra females prefer to lay eggs on host plant stalks along the periphery of the host plant. Wayne Whaley took this shot of a Papilio indra UT West Desert segregate egg that was laid on Lomatium grayi depauperatum. If you can't see the tiny egg laid on a stalk almost completely surrounded by rocky outcroppings towards the top of this photo, click on next slide for closeups.
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Papilio indra Ovum on Lomatium grayi depauperatum
Photos taken by Wayne Whaley on 16 Apr 2005 near Skull Rock Pass in the House Range, Millard County, Utah.
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