Papilio memnon
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| Great Mormon | ||||||||||||||||
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| Papilio memnon Linnaeus,1758 |
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Princeps memnon |
Great Mormon (Papilio memnon) is a large butterfly with contrasting colors that belongs to the Swallowtail family. A common butterfly, it is widely distributed and has thirteen subspecies. The female is polymorphic and with mimetic forms.
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[edit] Range
North Eastern India (including Sikkim, Assam and Nagaland), Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan(?), Myanmar, Nicobar Islands, Andaman Islands (stragglers only), western, southern and eastern China (including Hainan), Taiwan and southern Japan, Ryukyu Islands. Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Kampuchea, eastern and peninsular Malaysia, Indonesia ( Sumatra, Mentawai Islands, Nias, Batu, Simeulue, Bangka, Java, Kalimantan and the lesser Sunda Islands (except Timor, Wetar, Babar and Tanimbar).
[edit] Status
Common and not threatened. The cultivation of Citrus plants all over Southern Asia has ensured this.
[edit] Description & Polymorphy
The butterfly is large with 120 to 150mm span. It has as many as four male and nine female forms , a total of nine forms in all.
[edit] Typical form agenor
- Male. Tailless, above deep blue to black. It may or may not have red streak on the forewing at the base of the cell.
- Female. Tailless. Upperside forewing ground colour sepia, streaked with greyish white. The basal third part of the cell is red and is touched outwardly with white. Upper hindwing is blue-black. It has 5 to 7 yellow or white discal patches.
[edit] Female form butlerianus
- Tailless. Resembles the typical male. Both Wings are dark sepia. The forewing has a white area on the inner margin. The hindwing is scaled with blue.
[edit] Female form alcanor
- Tailed. The sides of the abdomen are yellow.
- Upperside forewing greyish brown with veins and streaks between them black. The cell is red at the base. There is a velvety black patch at the bases of veins 1 and 2 of the upperside forewing.
- Upperside hindwing is black with part of the cell white. There are white streaks around it. The tornus is red with a large black spot. There is a row of red terminal spots between the vein.
[edit] Male & female form polymnestoroides
- Tailless.
- Male. Upperside hindwing and forewing have short blue discal stripes.
- Female. The upperside forewing is sepia with pale grey streaks amongst the veins. The base of the cell is red. The upperside hindwing is velvety brown with a blue discal area and has black spots, as in the case of the Blue Mormon Papilio polymnestor which it mimics.
[edit] Photo Gallery
 Papilio memnon agenor |
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 Museum specimens including f. achates Bell |
 Museum specimens including f. esperi and f.butlerianus |
[edit] Habitat
Flies up to 7000 feet in the Himalayas, but is most common at low elevations.
[edit] Habits
This butterfly is found in forest clearings. It is very common and is also seen amongst human habitation. It is fond of visiting flowers of Poinsettia, Jasminum, Lantana, Canna and Salvia. It usually flies 2 to 4 meters above the ground. The butterfly is known to mud-puddle. The males are much commoner than females. The female forms butlerianus and alcanor are especially uncommon.
[edit] Lifecycle
The larva resembles that of the Common Mormon, being green with whitish markings. It is heavily parasitised.
[edit] Foodplants
- Citrus spp.
- Fortunella spp.
- Paramignya scandens.
[edit] References
- Collins, N.M. & Morris, M.G. (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
- Haribal, Meena (1994) Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and their Natural History.
- Wynter-Blyth, M.A. (1957) Butterflies of the Indian Region, Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India.
