Papilio desmondi

Papilio desmondi, the Desmond's green-banded swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Africa.[2]

Desmond's green-banded swallowtail
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Papilionidae
Tribe:
Papilionini
Genus:
Papilio
Species:
P. desmondi
Binomial name
Papilio desmondi
Synonyms
  • Papilio magdae Gifford, 1961
  • Papilio brontes Godman, 1885
  • Papilio teita van Someren, 1960
  • Papilio brontes australis van Someren, 1960

The larvae feed on Vepris eugeniifolia, Teclea, Clausena, Zanthoxylum, Calodendrum, and Citrus species.

Subspecies
  • Papilio desmondi desmondi (Chyulu Hills of south-eastern Kenya)
  • Papilio desmondi magdae Gifford, 1961 (northern Tanzania)
  • Papilio desmondi teita van Someren, 1960 (south-eastern Kenya)
  • Papilio desmondi usambaraensis (Koçak, 1980) (Tanzania, northern Malawi, north-eastern Zambia)

Description

There are sharp nervular indentations at the margin of the blue band in the fore wing.

Taxonomy

Papilio desmondi belongs to a clade called the nireus species group with 15 members. The pattern is black with green or blue bands and spots and the butterflies, although called swallowtails lack tails with the exception of Papilio charopus and Papilio hornimani. The clade members are:

References
  1. Papilio desmondi, Site of Markku Savela
  2. "Afrotropical Butterflies: File C – Papilionidae - Tribe Papilionini". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
  • Carcasson, R.H. (1960). "The Swallowtail Butterflies of East Africa (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae)". Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society pdf Key to East Africa members of the species group, diagnostic and other notes and figures. (Permission to host granted by The East Africa Natural History Society)


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