Papilio mayo
Encyclopedia
The Andaman Mormon is a species of swallowtail
butterfly that is endemic
to the Andamans. It is a species that is protected by Indian Law. The scientific name honours Richard Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo
, who was assassinated at Port Blair
the year before the butterfly was discovered.
The male Andaman Mormon resembles the Blue Mormon (Papilio polymnestor
) while the female resembles the female form alcanor of the Great Mormon (Papilio memnon
) and is a mimic of the Andaman Clubtail (Losaria rhodifer
).
The male has the upper side of wings rich velvety black. The fore wing has a subterminnal series of greenish-yellow irrorated internervular streaks, sometimes very faint. The hind wing has a very broad discal band pale blue, composed of broad outwardly more or less emarginate streaks in interspaces 1 to 7; cilia: fore wing black, hind wing black alternated with white in the interspaces. Underside opaque blue-black. Fore wing with a dark red streak at base and the subterminal internervular streaks as on the upperside but grey and more prominent. Hind wing with 4 or 5 small patches of dark red at base, a complete dark red ocellus in interspaces 1 and 2, and indistinct subterminal very variable markings of red in the other interspaces, sometimes formed into half ocelli in interspaces 3 and 4; within this line of markings there is an incomplete discal lunular series of mixed red and blue scaling. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen black.
The female closely resembles the tailed form of the Female of Papilio memnon
race agenor, but on the disc of the fore wing the internervular broad pale streaks are nearly white, and on the hind wing the white streaks in the interspaces beyond and outside the cell shorter and strongly tinged with red along their edges, while the dark red is more extended, especially in the tornal area where it covers the terminal three-fourths of interspaces 1 and 2, interrupted in 1 by a comparatively round oval black spot and in 2 by a broad elongate black patch ; apical half of tail vermilion-red, whitish at apex.
Swallowtail butterfly
Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies that form the family Papilionidae. There are over 550 species, and though the majority are tropical, members of the family are found on all continents except Antarctica...
butterfly that is endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to the Andamans. It is a species that is protected by Indian Law. The scientific name honours Richard Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo
Richard Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo
Richard Southwell Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo KP, GMSI, PC , styled Lord Naas between 1842 and 1867, was a statesman and prominent member of the British Conservative Party from Dublin, Ireland....
, who was assassinated at Port Blair
Port Blair
Port Blair is the largest town and a municipal council in Andaman district in the Andaman Islands and the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India...
the year before the butterfly was discovered.
Description
- See glossaryGlossary of Lepidopteran termsThis glossary describes the terms used in the formal descriptions of insect species, jargon used mostly by professionals or entomologist....
for terms used
The male Andaman Mormon resembles the Blue Mormon (Papilio polymnestor
Papilio polymnestor
The Blue Mormon is a large swallowtail butterfly found in South India and Sri Lanka.-Description:Males have the upper wings rich velvety black...
) while the female resembles the female form alcanor of the Great Mormon (Papilio memnon
Papilio memnon
The Great Mormon is a large butterfly that belongs to the swallowtail family and is found in southern Asia. It is widely distributed and has thirteen subspecies...
) and is a mimic of the Andaman Clubtail (Losaria rhodifer
Losaria rhodifer
The Andaman Clubtail , a rare and beautiful member of the Swallowtail family, is native to India. The butterfly belongs to the Clubtail subgenus, Losaria, of the genus Atrophaneura or the Red Bodied Swallowtails.-Distribution:The butterfly is endemic and restricted to the Andaman Islands in the...
).
The male has the upper side of wings rich velvety black. The fore wing has a subterminnal series of greenish-yellow irrorated internervular streaks, sometimes very faint. The hind wing has a very broad discal band pale blue, composed of broad outwardly more or less emarginate streaks in interspaces 1 to 7; cilia: fore wing black, hind wing black alternated with white in the interspaces. Underside opaque blue-black. Fore wing with a dark red streak at base and the subterminal internervular streaks as on the upperside but grey and more prominent. Hind wing with 4 or 5 small patches of dark red at base, a complete dark red ocellus in interspaces 1 and 2, and indistinct subterminal very variable markings of red in the other interspaces, sometimes formed into half ocelli in interspaces 3 and 4; within this line of markings there is an incomplete discal lunular series of mixed red and blue scaling. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen black.
The female closely resembles the tailed form of the Female of Papilio memnon
Papilio memnon
The Great Mormon is a large butterfly that belongs to the swallowtail family and is found in southern Asia. It is widely distributed and has thirteen subspecies...
race agenor, but on the disc of the fore wing the internervular broad pale streaks are nearly white, and on the hind wing the white streaks in the interspaces beyond and outside the cell shorter and strongly tinged with red along their edges, while the dark red is more extended, especially in the tornal area where it covers the terminal three-fourths of interspaces 1 and 2, interrupted in 1 by a comparatively round oval black spot and in 2 by a broad elongate black patch ; apical half of tail vermilion-red, whitish at apex.
Status
Not Common. It is protected by law in India. Males are reported to be much commoner than females.Other reading
- Evans, W.H. (1932) The Identification of Indian Butterflies. (2nd Ed), Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India
- Gay,Thomas; Kehimkar,Isaac & Punetha,J.C.(1992) Common Butterflies of India. WWF-India and Oxford University Press, Mumbai, India.
- Wynter-Blyth, M.A. (1957) Butterflies of the Indian Region, Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India.