Papilio nephelus
Encyclopedia
Papilio nephelus, common name Yellow Helen (Papilio nephelus chaon) or Black and White Helen (Papilio nephelus sunatus), is a species of Swallowtail
belonging to the Papilionidae family.
Papilio nephelus has a wingspan
reaching about 10–12 cm (3.9–4.7 ). The basic colour of the the wings is black, with a chain of white spots on the fore wing and a large white or yellow area on the hind wings. The underside and the upperside of the wings in this species are very similar. The hind wings have wavy margins, with long tails. The thorax and the abdomen are black.
Papilio nephelus superficially closely resembles P. helenus. The differences are, however, both of structure and of colour. Male Fore wing upperside: entirely without the thick coating of short hairs on the outer half. Upperside: black with a sprinkling of yellowish-brown scales on the tore wing, that form four longitudinal streaks on the cell and internervular streaks on the outer half. Hind wing: the upper discal white patch larger, formed of elongate broad streaks in interspaces 4 to 7 (not 5 to 7): no tornal nor subterminal markings. Underside ground-colour duller brownish black; fore wing with the diffuse scaling so disposed as to form grey cellular and internervular streaks, the streaks in interspaces 1 a and 1 generally white, not diffuse. Hind wing: basal area sprinkled with yellow scales that form three longitudinal slender lines in the cell: the upper white discal patch as on the upperside, but the elongate white markings that compose it well divided by the black veins; below the discal white patch there is a small series of white spots in interspaces 1 to 3, the spot in 1 generally, in 2 very often, tinged with ochraceous yellow; a subterminal complete series of ochraceous-yellow lunules followed by admarginal narrow white spots. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen black; beneath: a line of white on the palpi, the thorax with some linear white markings.
Female similar. Upperside ground-colour browner; fore wing: cellular and internervular streaks more prominent; in many specimens an obscure diffuse whitish subcostal shading just beyond apex of coll. Underside paler. Fore wing with the cellular and internervular streaks and subcostal postcellular whitish patch more prominent; the posterior three internervular short streaks on the outer half of the wing white, not diffuse; in a few specimens there is a series of more or less conspicuous admarginal white spots, one in the middle of each interspace. Hind wing markings similar to those in the male, but larger and more prominent. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen as in the male, but the abdomen beneath with lateral white markings.
Larva
e feed on Toddalia asiatica, Euodia meliifolia, Fagra rhetsa, Citrus
spp. and Zanthoxylum rhetsa.
and in the Indomalaya ecozone, from [Nepal]], Sikkim
, Assam
, to the South of China
and from Myanmar
to Thailand
and Indonesia
.
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...
belonging to the Papilionidae family.
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
Papilio nephelus has a wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
reaching about 10–12 cm (3.9–4.7 ). The basic colour of the the wings is black, with a chain of white spots on the fore wing and a large white or yellow area on the hind wings. The underside and the upperside of the wings in this species are very similar. The hind wings have wavy margins, with long tails. The thorax and the abdomen are black.
Papilio nephelus superficially closely resembles P. helenus. The differences are, however, both of structure and of colour. Male Fore wing upperside: entirely without the thick coating of short hairs on the outer half. Upperside: black with a sprinkling of yellowish-brown scales on the tore wing, that form four longitudinal streaks on the cell and internervular streaks on the outer half. Hind wing: the upper discal white patch larger, formed of elongate broad streaks in interspaces 4 to 7 (not 5 to 7): no tornal nor subterminal markings. Underside ground-colour duller brownish black; fore wing with the diffuse scaling so disposed as to form grey cellular and internervular streaks, the streaks in interspaces 1 a and 1 generally white, not diffuse. Hind wing: basal area sprinkled with yellow scales that form three longitudinal slender lines in the cell: the upper white discal patch as on the upperside, but the elongate white markings that compose it well divided by the black veins; below the discal white patch there is a small series of white spots in interspaces 1 to 3, the spot in 1 generally, in 2 very often, tinged with ochraceous yellow; a subterminal complete series of ochraceous-yellow lunules followed by admarginal narrow white spots. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen black; beneath: a line of white on the palpi, the thorax with some linear white markings.
Female similar. Upperside ground-colour browner; fore wing: cellular and internervular streaks more prominent; in many specimens an obscure diffuse whitish subcostal shading just beyond apex of coll. Underside paler. Fore wing with the cellular and internervular streaks and subcostal postcellular whitish patch more prominent; the posterior three internervular short streaks on the outer half of the wing white, not diffuse; in a few specimens there is a series of more or less conspicuous admarginal white spots, one in the middle of each interspace. Hind wing markings similar to those in the male, but larger and more prominent. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen as in the male, but the abdomen beneath with lateral white markings.
Larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e feed on Toddalia asiatica, Euodia meliifolia, Fagra rhetsa, Citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
spp. and Zanthoxylum rhetsa.
Range
This species can be found the Asian part of the Palaearctic ecozone and partially in the Australasia ecozoneAustralasia ecozone
The Australasian zone is an ecological region that is coincident, but not synonymous , with the geographic region of Australasia...
and in the Indomalaya ecozone, from [Nepal]], Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
, Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, to the South of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and from Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.
Subspecies
- Papilio nephelus nephelus (JavaJavaJava is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
) - Papilio nephelus annulus Pendlebury, 1936 (Peninsular MalayaMalaya-Geographic/former political entities:* The Malay Peninsula* Malay Archipelago, the broader macroregion.-Malaya including Singapore:* British Malaya , a loose collection of British-controlled states...
) - Papilio nephelus chaon Westwood, 1845 (Yellow Helen) (rissa, NepalNepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
- AssamAssamAssam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, N. Burma, S. YunnanYunnanYunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
) - Papilio nephelus albolineatus Forbes, 1885 (SumatraSumatraSumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, BorneoBorneoBorneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
) - Papilio nephelussiporanus Hagen, 1898 (Mentawai IslandsMentawai IslandsThe Mentawai Islands are a chain of about seventy islands and islets off the western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. Siberut is the largest of the islands. The other major islands are Sipura, North Pagai and South Pagai . The islands lie approximately 150 km off the Sumatran coast, across the...
) - Papilio nephelus tellonus Fruhstorfer, 1906 (Batu IslandsBatu IslandsThe Batu Islands are an archipelago of Indonesia located in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Sumatra, between Nias and Siberut. The three primary islands, of approximately equal size, are Pini, Tanahmasa, and Tanahbala. There are forty-eight smaller islands, of which less than half are...
) - Papilio nephelus sunatus Corbet, 1940 (Black and White Helen) (Peninsular MalayaMalaya-Geographic/former political entities:* The Malay Peninsula* Malay Archipelago, the broader macroregion.-Malaya including Singapore:* British Malaya , a loose collection of British-controlled states...
)
See also
Other reading
- 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
- Wynter-Blyth, M.A. (1957) Butterflies of the Indian Region, Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India.