Papilio antimachus
| Giant African Swallowtail | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Papilio antimachus Male, upperside. | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Papilionidae |
| Genus: | Papilio |
| Species: | Papilio antimachus |
| Binomial name | |
| Papilio antimachus Drury, 1782[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The Giant African Swallowtail (Papilio antimachus) is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae. With a wingspan between 18 and 23 centimetres (7.1 and 9.1 in), it is the largest butterfly in Africa and among the largest butterflies in the world. P. antimachus live in the tropical rainforests of West and Central Africa. The distribution area (range) stretches from Angola, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Uganda. The male is larger than the female and can often be seen in groups at nectar.The females show themselves less, continually flying high above the tree tops. The butterfly has no natural enemies because it is very toxic.
this shows the female.
Subspecies
- Papilio antimachus antimachus (Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, southern Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Central African Republic, western Democratic Republic of Congo, southern Sudan, northern Angola)
- Papilio antimachus parva Jackson, 1956 (eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda)[2]
References
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Papilio antimachus. |
 |
Wikispecies has information related to: Papilio antimachus |
- ↑ Papilio, Site of Markku Savela
- ↑ Afrotropical Butterflies: File C – Papilionidae - Tribe Papilionini