Papilio horribilis

Papilio horribilis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Papilionidae
Genus:	Papilio
Species:	P. horribilis
Binomial name
	Papilio horribilis; Butler, 1874
Synonyms
	Papilio hermes Boullet & Le Cerf, 1912; Papilio hermes var. pellax Boullet & Le Cerf, 1912;

Papilio horribilis is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in southern Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Ghana.

Description

Sexual dimorphism is weak. On the obverse, the wings are black. The forewings have a large white macula crossed by black veins, a smaller macula of the same colour above the cell and a small macula at the apex of the wing. The hindwings have slightly spatulate tails. They have a white band crossed by black veins, four rounded submarginal maculae of the same color (which distinguishes it from Papilio hesperus ), as well as a small orange dot in the anal angle.

On the reverse side the wings are dark brown. The pattern on the forewings is similar but the wings are paler at the apex. The cream band on the hindwings is partly covered with brown. The orange dot on the anal angle is absent and the submarginal macules are almost obliterated ^[3]

Biology

The larvae possibly feed on Beilschmiedia manni.^[4] The female lays her eggs on the host plant. . The caterpillar passes through five instars before transforming into a chrysalis, and the chrysalis is held upside down by a silk belt, as in closely related species.

Adults are not uncommon in suitable habitat. Flight is rapid, with males diving from the canopy and moving between the canopy and ground level, often visiting flowers such as those of Mussaenda . They are territorial and fly high in clearings, chasing away rival males, between 10am and 12pm

Taxonomy

Papilio horribilis is a member of the hesperus species group. The members of the clade are:

Papilio hesperus Westwood, 1843
Papilio euphranor Trimen, 1868
Papilio horribilis Butler, 1874
Papilio pelodurus Butler, 1896

Status

The butterfly is not uncommon and not threatened.^[5]

References

^ Butler, A. G., 1874 in Butler, Arthur G and E. W. Janson Lepidoptera exotica, or, Descriptions and illustrations of exotic lepidoptera London E.W. Janson, 1874
^ Papilio, Site of Markku Savela
^ Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter
^ "Afrotropical Butterflies: File C – Papilionidae - Tribe Papilionini". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2012-05-10.
^ Collins, N. Mark; Morris, Michael G. (1985). Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World: The IUCN Red Data Book. Gland & Cambridge: IUCN. ISBN 978-2-88032-603-6 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
^ Condamin, M. and Roy, R. (1963). Lepidoptera Papilionidae in (ch. 19) La reserve naturelle integrale du Mont Nimba, fasc. 5. Memoires de I'lnstitut Francois Afrique Noire 66: 415-422.

External links

Swallowtails

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[1] Butler, A. G., 1874 in Butler, Arthur G and E. W. Janson Lepidoptera exotica, or, Descriptions and illustrations of exotic lepidoptera London E.W. Janson, 1874

[funet-2] Papilio, Site of Markku Savela

[3] Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter

[ATBUT-4] "Afrotropical Butterflies: File C – Papilionidae - Tribe Papilionini". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2012-05-10.

[5] Collins, N. Mark; Morris, Michael G. (1985). Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World: The IUCN Red Data Book. Gland & Cambridge: IUCN. ISBN 978-2-88032-603-6 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.

[6] Condamin, M. and Roy, R. (1963). Lepidoptera Papilionidae in (ch. 19) La reserve naturelle integrale du Mont Nimba, fasc. 5. Memoires de I'lnstitut Francois Afrique Noire 66: 415-422.

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