List of butterflies of India (Papilionidae): Difference between revisions

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* [[Parnassius acdestis]], '' Parnassius acdestis'' ([[Charles Oberthür|Oberthür]], 1883)
* [[Parnassius acdestis]], '' Parnassius acdestis'' ([[Charles Oberthür|Oberthür]], 1883)
* [[Parnassius imperator augustus|Imperial Apollo]], '' Parnassius imperator augustus'' ([[Charles Oberthür|Oberthür]], 1883)
* [[Parnassius imperator augustus|Imperial Apollo]], '' Parnassius imperator augustus'' ([[Charles Oberthür|Oberthür]], 1883)
* [[Parnassius charltonius|Regal Apollo]], '' Parnassius charltonius'' ([[Gray]], 1853)
* [[Parnassius charltonius|Regal Apollo]], '' Parnassius charltonius'' ([[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1853)
* [[Parnassius acco|Varnished Apollo]], '' Parnassius acco'' ([[Gray]], 1853)
* [[Parnassius acco|Varnished Apollo]], '' Parnassius acco'' ([[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1853)
* [[Parnassius hannyngtoni|Hannyngton's Apollo]], '' Parnassius hannyngtoni'' ([[Andrej Nikolajewitsch Avinoff|Avinoff]], 1916)
* [[Parnassius hannyngtoni|Hannyngton's Apollo]], '' Parnassius hannyngtoni'' ([[Andrej Nikolajewitsch Avinoff|Avinoff]], 1916)
* [[Parnassius simo|Blackedged Apollo]], '' Parnassius simo'' ([[Gray]], 1853)
* [[Parnassius simo|Blackedged Apollo]], '' Parnassius simo'' ([[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1853)
* [[Parnassius hardwickii|Common Blue Apollo]], '' Parnassius hardwickii'' ([[Gray]], 1831)
* [[Parnassius hardwickii|Common Blue Apollo]], '' Parnassius hardwickii'' ([[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1831)
* [[Parnassius jacquemontii|Keeled Apollo]], '' Parnassius jacquemontii'' ([[Jean Baptiste Boisduval|Boisduval]], 1836)
* [[Parnassius jacquemontii|Keeled Apollo]], '' Parnassius jacquemontii'' ([[Jean Baptiste Boisduval|Boisduval]], 1836)
* [[Parnassius epaphus|Common Red Apollo]], '' Parnassius epaphus'' ([[Charles Oberthür|Oberthür]], 1879)
* [[Parnassius epaphus|Common Red Apollo]], '' Parnassius epaphus'' ([[Charles Oberthür|Oberthür]], 1879)
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* [[Pazala eurous|Sixbar Swordtail]], ''Pazala eurous'' ([[John Henry Leech|Leech]], 1892-94)
* [[Pazala eurous|Sixbar Swordtail]], ''Pazala eurous'' ([[John Henry Leech|Leech]], 1892-94)
* [[Pazala mandarinus|Spectacle Swordtail]], ''Pazala mandarinus'' ([[Charles Oberthür|Oberthür]], 1879) (= glycerion [[Gray]])
* [[Pazala mandarinus|Spectacle Swordtail]], ''Pazala mandarinus'' ([[Charles Oberthür|Oberthür]], 1879) (= glycerion [[John Edward Gray|Gray]])


==== ''Graphium'' (''Pathysa'') - Swordtails, Zebras ====
==== ''Graphium'' (''Pathysa'') - Swordtails, Zebras ====
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* [[Chilasa clytia|Common Mime]], ''Chilasa clytia'', [[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758
* [[Chilasa clytia|Common Mime]], ''Chilasa clytia'', [[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758
* [[Chilasa paradoxa|Great Blue Mime]], ''Chilasa paradoxa'' ([[Zinken-Sommer]], 1831)
* [[Chilasa paradoxa|Great Blue Mime]], ''Chilasa paradoxa'' ([[Zinken-Sommer]], 1831)
* [[Chilasa agestor|Tawny Mime]], ''Chilasa agestor'' ([[Gray]], 1832)
* [[Chilasa agestor|Tawny Mime]], ''Chilasa agestor'' ([[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1832)
* [[Chilasa epycides|Lesser Mime]], ''Chilasa epycides'' ([[William Chapman Hewitson|Hewitson]], 1862)
* [[Chilasa epycides|Lesser Mime]], ''Chilasa epycides'' ([[William Chapman Hewitson|Hewitson]], 1862)
* [[Chilasa slateri slateri|Blue Striped Mime]], ''Chilasa slateri slateri'' ([[William Chapman Hewitson|Hewitson]], 1857)
* [[Chilasa slateri slateri|Blue Striped Mime]], ''Chilasa slateri slateri'' ([[William Chapman Hewitson|Hewitson]], 1857)

Revision as of 09:37, 24 September 2008

Three Indian swallowtails mudpuddling -
Blue Mormon Papilio polymnestor, Common Mormon Papilio polytes and Common Bluebottle Graphium sarpedon(L to R anticlockwise,).
Great Mormon (Papilio memnon) is a species of swallowtail butterfly found in South Asia
Malabar Banded Swallowtail (Papilio liomedon) a species of the coastal forests.

This is a list of the butterflies of family Papilionidae, or the 'Swallowtails', which are found in India. This family of large and beautiful butterflies is well represented with about 84 species found within Indian borders, the exact number depending on the taxonomy followed.[1][2]

Two of the three papilionid subfamilies are represented in India, namely, the Parnassiinae, or 'Apollos', with 14 species, and, the Papilioninae, or 'Swallowtails', with 70 species.

Diversity of Indian swallowtails

Indian swallowtails are found almost everywhere in the country. The Malabar Banded Peacock Papilio buddha and the Malabar Banded Swallowtail Papilio liomedon fly at sea level while the Apollos, Parnassius spp, are to be found only in the highest alpine meadows of the Himalayas. Some species such as the Common Mormon Papilio polytes and the Blue Mormon Papilio polymnestor fly at ground level whereas others, such as the Tailed Jay Graphium agamemnon are normally found flying high in the forest canopy. The Lime butterfly Papilio demoleus is a creature of arid scrub-land, occasionally being spotted even in the Thar desert, while the tropical evergreen forests have their own representatives, such as the Red Helen Papilio helenus, the Common Bluebottle Graphium cloanthus and the Malabar Raven.[3]

Checklist

The checklist of swallowtails found in India, given below, forms part of the full List of butterflies of India and also acts as an index to the species articles.

Subfamily Parnassiinae


Common Blue Apollo Parnassius epaphus in Kulu, Himachal Pradesh
Parnassius epaphus

The Apollos, Parnassius are different in appearance from other swallowtails, being of moderate size, with ground colour white, spotted with red, black and blue.

Parnassius - Apollos

Subfamily Papilioninae


Bhutan Glory, Bhutanitis lidderdalii

The Swallowtails are generally easily identified in the field by their large size, prominent markings, colour, patterns and variable wing and tail shape.

Bhutanitis - Bhutan Glory

Iphiclides - Scarce Swallowtail

Teinopalpus - Kaiser-e-Hind

Kaiser-e-Hind, Teinopalpus imperialis

Meandrusa - Hooked Swallowtails

Lamproptera - Dragontails

Green Dragontail
Spot Swordtail Pathysa nomius

Graphium (Pazala) - Swordtails

Graphium (Pathysa) - Swordtails, Zebras

The Swordtails

The Zebras

Graphium (Graphium) - Bluebottles and Jays

Common Bluebottle, Graphium sarpedon

Atrophaneura (Atrophaneura) - Red-bodied Swallowtails

File:Batwing - Arif Siddiqui.jpg
Common Batwing, Atrophaneura varuna

Atrophaneura (Losaria) - Clubtails

Crimson Rose Pachliopta hector

Atrophaneura (Pachliopta) - Roses

Troides - Birdwings

Papilio (Chilasa) - Mimes

Great Blue Mime
Common Yellow Swallowtail, Papilio machaon

Papilio (Papilio) - Swallowtails

Blue Mormon Papilio polymnestor

Life cycle

  • Eggs - eggs are spherical, being broader than high. They may be smooth or minutely pitted. They are generally green, white or blotched.
  • Larva - caterpillars are spindle-shaped and they have a large retractable head. They are often conspicuously coloured and may have a crest or hood, or, fleshy protuberances. Behind the head, papilionid caterpillars have a curious two-branched cylinder, the osmeterium, which can be darted in and out and is for disseminating scent.
  • Pupa - chrysalids are variable in shape. They have angular and supported heads which are held upwards by tail hooks and a silk band or strand at the mind body. Mime (Chilasa spp.) chrysalids resemble broken pieces of twig and those of the Apollos (Parnassinae) are enclosed in loose cocoons which are made on or just below the ground surface.

Foodplants

  • The Birdwings and the Red-bodied Swallowtails generally feed on plants of the family Aristolochiaceae, a family having pungent and poisonous creepers. These properties are absorbed by the larva and retained in pupal and adult stages, making the butterflies both smell and taste nasty.
  • The Black-bodied Swallowtails feed on the citrus family Rutaceae.
  • The Common Yellow Swallowtail (Papilio machaon), the classic species, feeds on the Carrot family Umbelliferae.
  • The Mimes and the Swordtails feed on the Custard Apple family, Annonaceae, and the Laurel family Lauraceae.

Cited references

  1. ^ Evans (1932) states,in a table on pg 23, the number of papilionids in the Indian subcontinent as 90; 15 species being found in Ceylon, 19 in South India, 6 in Baluchistan, 11 in Chitral, 31 in the Western Himalayas, 69 in Northeast India, 50 in Southern Burma and 13 in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. Wynter-Blyth (1957) gives a modified version of the same table on p. 12, where the overall number of species is 94; with differences being in total number of species for Northeast Himalayas (62) and Burma (66). The present list is based on the IUCN red data book, with corrections made by subsequent editors especially in the Parnassiinae.
  2. ^ Kunte (2000) on p. 55 mentions a total of 107 species with 19 in peninsular India.
  3. ^ Kunte, Krushnamegh. (2000) Butterflies of Peninsular India, chapter 5.1, pg 55-58.

References

Woodcut of Red Helen Papilio helenus from C. T. Bingham's Fauna of British India volume on butterflies
  • Collins, N. M. & M. G. Morris. (1985) Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World. IUCN. ISBN 2-88032-603-6
  • Evans, W. H. (1932) The Identification of Indian Butterflies. (2nd Ed), Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India
  • Gay, T., Kehimkar, I. & J. C. Punetha.(1992) Common Butterflies of India. WWF-India and Oxford University Press, Mumbai, India.
  • Haribal, Meena (1992) Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and their Natural History. Sikkim Nature Conservation Foundation.
  • Kunte, Krushnamegh (2000) Butterflies of Peninsular India, Universities Press (India) Ltd, Hyderabad (reprint 2006). ISBN 81-7371-354-5
  • Wynter-Blyth, M. A. (1957) Butterflies of the Indian Region, Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India.

See also