Papilio ophidicephalus

Emperor swallowtail
P. o. transvaalensis van Son, 1939
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Genus: Papilio
Species: P. ophidicephalus
Binomial name
Papilio ophidicephalus
Oberthür, 1878[1]
Synonyms
  • Papilio ophidicephalus chirinda var. barnesi van Son, 1939

Papilio ophidicephalus, the emperor swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The wingspan is 90–110 mm in males and 100–120 mm in females. It has two broods, one from August to December and the second from January to April.[2]

The larvae feed on Clausena inqequalis, Calodendrum capense, Citrus species, Clausena anisata, Zanthoxylum capense and other Zanthoxylum species.[1]

Taxonomy

Papilio ophidicephalus is a member of the menestheus species group. The members of the clade are:

Subspecies

Listed alphabetically:[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Papilio, funet.fi
  2. Woodhall, S. Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa, Cape Town: Struik Publishers, 2005.

External links

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