| Sixbar swordtail | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Papilionidae |
| Genus: | Graphium |
| Species: | G. eurous |
| Binomial name | |
| Graphium eurous | |
Graphium eurous, the sixbar swordtail, is a swallowtail butterfly belonging to the genus Graphium , also known as the swordtails.
All the bands are narrowed, being only blackish stripes on a pale yellow transparent ground, the anal area of the hindwing being alone more strongly coloured, bearing a honey-yellow anal spot which is somewhat constricted in the middle; behind this spot there is a blue-centred dot, which represents the anal ocellus.Karl Jordan in Seitz (page 86) provides a description differentiating eurous from nearby taxa and discussing some forms. [2]
It is known along the Himalayas west from northern Pakistan into India (including Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Garhwal and Kumaon, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur), Nepal, northern Myanmar extending into south-western and central China; and Taiwan.
Though overall common and not threatened, it tends to be extremely local.
Graphium eurous belongs to the subgenus Pazala . [1] It has a number of subspecies: [3] [4] [5]
These butterflies are found in open places in wooded country between 3,000 and 8,000 feet (910 and 2,440 m) in the Himalayas. They inhabit certain small localities and are always to be found there.
While the male swordtails are rarely away from their favourite spots, the females wander abroad in search of their host plants, the laurels.
The males generally fly high up, often around a selected tree, where they can be seen settling now and then well out of reach. Occasionally, they descend close to the ground where they can be netted. The females, being less lively, fly closer to the ground, and are often found settling on their host plants.
This species is single brooded. It regularly emerges in Himachal Pradesh area in mid-April and stays on the wing till mid-May. The brood emerges slightly earlier east of Himachal till in Assam the butterflies appear as early as January.
Usually, the females emerge much later than the males and it is not uncommon to see fresh females with wings in perfect condition being courted by males with tattered wings.
The caterpillars are greenish and have black dots. It has a yellow transverse band. Each thoracic segment has a pair of spines. The anal processes are yellow and have a black tip.
The pupas are slender, green and have four yellowish lines.
The larval food plants of the sixbar swordtail are primarily from family Lauraceae. Haribal lists Persea odoratissima and Michelia doltsopa (family Magnoliaceae) as the larval host plants. [7] Smetacek (2012) has reared larvae found to be feeding on Persea duthei King ex J.D. Hooker and Neolitsea umbrosa (Nees) Gamble, to adulthood. [8]
Graphium is a genus of mostly tropical swallowtail butterflies commonly known as swordtails, kite swallowtails, or ladies. Native to Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania, the genus is represented by over 100 species. Their colouration is as variable as the habitats they frequent; from rainforest to savannah. Some possess tails which may be long and swordlike, while others lack any hindwing extensions. Graphium species are often sighted at mud puddles.
Graphium nomius, the spot swordtail, is a butterfly found in South and Southeast Asia that belongs to the swallowtail family. The species was first described by Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper in 1793. One of the grandest sights is a host of spot swordtails mud-puddling or swarming around a flowering forest tree.
Byasa polyeuctes, the common windmill, is the most common member in India of the windmills genus (Byasa), comprising tailed black swallowtail butterflies with white spots and red submarginal crescents.
Losaria coon, the common clubtail, is a butterfly belonging to the swallowtail family, Papilionidae. The butterfly belongs to the clubtails, genus Losaria. It includes several subspecies and is found from the Nicobar Islands and Assam in India, east to Hainan in China, and south through Indochina, to Java and other islands of Indonesia and Bangladesh.
Papilio (Chilasa) agestor, the tawny mime, is a swallowtail butterfly, native to Indian subcontinent and widely found across Asia. The butterfly belongs to the mime subgenus, Chilasa, of the genus Papilio or the black-bodied swallowtails.
Papilio (Chilasa) epycides, the lesser mime, is a swallowtail butterfly found in India and parts of South-East Asia. The butterfly belongs to the mime (Chilasa) subgenus or the black-bodied swallowtails. It is a mimic of a common Indian Danainae, the glassy tiger butterfly.
Graphium mandarinus, the spectacle swordtail, which is native to India, is a butterfly of the swallowtail family (Papilionidae). It belongs to subgenus Pazala of the swordtails, that is, genus Graphium.
Byasa latreillei, the rose windmill, is a butterfly from the windmills genus (Byasa), found in various parts of Asia, comprising tailed black swallowtail butterflies with white spots and red submarginal crescents.
Atrophaneura aidoneus, the lesser batwing, is an Asian species of butterfly that belongs to the batwings group of Atrophaneura, comprising tailless black swallowtail butterflies.
Byasa crassipes, the black windmill, is a butterfly found in India and Southeast Asia that belongs to the windmills genus, Byasa, comprising tailed black swallowtail butterflies with white spots and red submarginal crescents.
Byasa polla, the De Nicéville's windmill, is a butterfly found in India that belongs to the windmills genus (Byasa), comprising tailed black swallowtail butterflies with white spots and red submarginal crescents.
Byasa plutonius, the Chinese windmill, is a butterfly found in Asia that belongs to the windmills genus (Byasa), comprising tailed black swallowtail butterflies with white spots and red submarginal crescents.
Charaxes solon, the black rajah, is a butterfly species found in tropical Asia. It belongs to the Charaxinae in the brush-footed butterfly family (Nymphalidae).
Poritia hewitsoni, the common gem, is a small butterfly found in India, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family.
Heliophorus epicles, commonly known as the purple sapphire, is a species of lycaenid or blue butterfly found in Asia. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Godart in 1823.
Prosotas dubiosa, the tailless lineblue or small purple lineblue, is a blue butterfly (Lycaenidae) found in Asia to Australia. The species was first described by Georg Semper in 1879.
Saffron is a species of blue butterfly found in South East Asia.
Graphium glycerion, the spectacle swordtail, is a species of butterfly found in the Indomalayan realm. The species was first described by George Robert Gray in 1831.
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