Papilio hesperus
Species of butterfly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Papilio hesperus, the black and yellow swallowtail or Hesperus swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Africa. It is monomorphic, meaning there is only one phenotype in the population of this species.[4] The dorsal and ventral sides of its wings are practically identical due to the wing's translucence.[5]
| Papilio hesperus | |
|---|---|
| |
 | |
| Mounted | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Papilionidae |
| Genus: | Papilio |
| Species: | P. hesperus |
| Binomial name | |
| Papilio hesperus | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Description
Papilio hesperus is a very large butterfly with a wingspan of 110 to 130 mm , with a very concave outer edge of the forewings and scalloped hindwings with a club-shaped tail . The wings are brown to black decorated with pale yellow spots, part of which forms a band with brown veins from half of the forewings to their inner edge and then from the costal edge to the inner edge of the hindwings. Two spots are on the hindwings near the tail.[6]
Biology
The larvae feed on Beilschmiedia species, including Beilschmiedia ugandensis.
Taxonomy
Papilio hesperus is the nominal 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
Subspecies
Habitats
Congolian forests and surrounding ecoregions.
