While not every state has a designated state insect, many states have both a state insect and a state butterfly. Many states also share state insects and state butterflies!
South Carolina has both a designated insect and butterfly: the Carolina mantis (Stagmomantis carolina Johansson) and the Easten Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glacus Linnaeus).
Carolina Mantis
The Carolina mantis is native to the United States; it can be found from Florida to southern New York, and as far west as Utah . These generalist carnivores are well camouflaged by their coloration (ranging from light green to brown) and stick and leaf-like appearance (Ohio State University Extension).
As mantises mature, they capture and devour prey that is relative to their current size. Due to their generalist predation habits, mantises will exhibit cannibalistic behaviors under certain circumstances. It is well known that female mantises occasionally consume males after mating (University of Nebraska Extension).
The Carolina mantis was designated as South Carolina’s state insect in 1988 by the General Assembly for the following reasons:
Whereas, the Carolina mantid, Stagmomantis carolina (Johannson), or praying
mantis, is widely recognized as a beneficial insect; and
Whereas, this easily recognizable insect ranges throughout this State; and
Whereas, the Carolina mantid symbolizes the importance of the natural
science of entomology and its special role in all forms of agriculture in
helping to control harmful insects; and
Whereas, the Carolina mantid provides a perfect specimen of living science for the school children of this State.
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Eastern Tiger Swallowtails (ETS) are distributed throughout the United States, but are most commonly found in states east of the Rocky Mountains. Adults feed on nectar from various flowers, while larvae feed on the leaves of various trees including tulip, sweet bay, and wild cherry.
Young caterpillars are mottled brown and white in coloration, like bird droppings, while older caterpillars are bright green with large eyespots in their thorax. When agitated, older caterpillars will evert their osmeterium (an orange, Y-shaped, organ normally concealed by the thorax) as a defense. Along with making ETS caterpillars look like little snakes (or Caterpie, the Pokemon), the osmeterium also secretes terpenes that can repel attackers (Eisner and Meinwald, 1965). Check out this great video to see an osmeterium in action!
Adult male ETS are yellow in color and have four black stripes going down each wing. They have small orange spots and a hint of blue at the inner base of their bottom wings.
Adult female ETS are dimorphic, so they can either be yellow or black. Yellow morphs are similar to males in that they have four black stripes. Yellow females also have a blue band that spans the base of the bottom wings.
Black morphs are solid black, except for the band of blue that spans the base of the bottom wings.
They are a Batesian mimic of the Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor Linnaeus), meaning that they have the warning coloration of the Pipevine Swallowtail (bold blue against black) but are not toxic to predators like the latter.
The ETS was originally designated as the state butterfly of South Carolina in 1976. In 1994, the bill was amended to include the following reasons for its designation:
Whereas, the tiger swallowtail, a large, yellow, black-striped butterfly, is one of the most familiar butterflies in North America and is one of the most common and conspicuous butterflies in the Eastern United States; and
Whereas, documentation of this butterfly in South Carolina dates back to 1725 when it was painted with a native shrub by an English painter, Mark Catesby; and Whereas, the Garden Club of South Carolina has identified the tiger swallowtail as of particular interest to South Carolinians because it can be seen in deciduous woods,along streams, rivers, and wooded swamps, and in towns and cities throughout South Carolina.
Lastly, the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is also the state butterfly of Delaware, Georgia, and North Carolina!
Next in this series: the state of Pennsylvania…the Pennsylvania firefly!
Leave a Reply