| Tawny mime | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Papilionidae |
| Genus: | Papilio |
| Species: | P. agestor |
| Binomial name | |
| Papilio agestor Gray, 1831 | |
| Synonyms | |
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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.
Upperside: forewing black with the following bluish-grey markings: a very slender line along costal margin, a broad streak from base in cell that does not reach the apex of the same, two spots on the black area at apex, a long streak in interspace la; two elongate broad streaks in interspace 1 divided by a slender black ill-defined line; broad rectangular streaks in interspaces 2, 3, 4 and 6; a narrower inwardly obsolescent streak in interspace 5, and elongate spots in interspaces 8, 9, and 10; the streaks in interspaces 1 to 4 crossed transversely near their apices by a line of the ground colour; finally a complete subterminal series of small whitish spots. Hindwing rich chestnut red; cell filled by a trifid bluish - grey streak, followed at the bases of interspaces 2 to 6 by elougate bluish-grey spots; a narrow streak of the same colour from base in interspace 1; a postdiscal series of spots in interspaces 5, 6 and 7 and a more or less obsolescent subterminal series of dots also bluish grey; the veins on the wing conspicuously paler than the ground colour. Underside: forewing similar to the upperside except that the ground colour on the apical area is dull brown not black. Hindwing also as the upperside, but the ground colour on the disc of the wing of a darker deeper shade of chestnut; the postdiscal series of spots more or less obscurely complete from interspace 1 to 7; and the subterminal series of spots of the upperside formed into lunules. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen black, the head and thorax variegated with bluish-grey spots, the abdomen with lateral transverse bars.
Race govindra, Moore very closely resembles the typical form but can always be distinguished by the presence of a complete series of postdiscal bluish-grey spots on the upperside of the hindwing. It is generally also smaller in both sexes than typical agestor, and on the upperside of the hindwing the ground colour in the anterior interspaces is broadly centred along the middle with very dark brown, almost black. The female frequently has the ground colour of the hindwing a much brighter chestnut (almost ochraceous) than in any specimen of female of agestor that the describer had seen. [1]
The butterfly is found in Pakistan from west Kashmir to Sikkim and right across from Assam to Myanmar (including Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh), Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea, central and southern China and peninsular Malaysia.
It is never common but is not known to be threatened across most of its range. Extremely local. Considered to be vulnerable in Peninsular Malaysia.
This butterfly frequents woods in hilly regions and generally flies between 4,000 and 8,500 feet (1,200 and 2,600 m) in the Himalayas and Assam.
This butterfly may mimic the chestnut tiger butterfly ( Parantica sita ).
The tawny mime flies slowly in the sunshine in glades and clearings of oak (Quercus) forests usually 10 to 12 feet (3.0 to 3.7 m) above the ground. It is known to patrol a beat and respond aggressively to passing butterflies and insects for long periods in a locality. It does not visit flowers.
It is single brooded and generally appears in March in Himachal Pradesh.
"The female lays her eggs on the young leaves of Machilus odorattisimus trees, Natural Order Lauraceae, about the end of April. The larva is at first of a reddish colour but very soon turns black and white, and lies on the upper surface of a leaf where it greatly and protectively resembles a bird's droppings."
Adult larva: brown with two subdorsal and two lateral rows of fleshy-pointed tubercles, each with a spot of red at its base; anterior, middle and posterior lateral patches of dull ochraceous, the latter two meeting on the dorsum; the rest of the larva spotted with black and red."
Pupa dark brown with lines of dull ochraceous, roughened, with the anal end truncate." (Described from plate to Mackinnon & de Niceville's paper.)
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.
Papilio alcmenor, the redbreast, is a species of swallowtail butterfly found in South Asia.
Papilio crino, the common banded peacock, is a species of swallowtail (Papilionidae) butterfly found in parts of the Indian subcontinent, including India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.
Papilio polymnestor, the blue Mormon, is a large swallowtail butterfly found in south India and Sri Lanka. It is the "state butterfly" of the Indian state of Maharashtra. With a wingspan of 120–150 mm, it is the fourth largest butterfly of India.
Papilio bootes, the tailed redbreast, is a beautiful swallowtail butterfly found in India.
Papilio castor, the common raven, is a species of swallowtail butterfly found in Cambodia and South Asia.
Papilio prexaspes, the blue Helen, is a swallowtail butterfly found in Southeast Asia. The race found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Papilio prexaspes andamanicus, is also known as the Andaman Helen.
Papilio krishna, the Krishna peacock, is a large swallowtail butterfly found in forests in China, north east India, Myanmar and Vietnam.
Papilio nephelus is a species of swallowtail butterfly belonging to the family Papilionidae. Subspecies include P. n. chaon, the yellow Helen, and P. n. sunatus, the black and white Helen.
Papilio protenor, the spangle, is a butterfly found in India belonging to the swallowtail family.
Teinopalpus imperialis, the Kaiser-i-Hind, is a rare species of swallowtail butterfly found from Nepal and north India east to north Vietnam. The common name literally means "emperor of India". The Kaiser-i-Hind is much sought after by butterfly collectors for its beauty and rarity. The green iridescence of the wings has been found to be due to three-dimensional photonic structure of the scales and is the subject of much research.
Meandrusa sciron, the brown gorgon, is a species of swallowtail butterfly found in parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia. It belongs to the hooked swallowtails genus, Meandrusa, of the family Papilionidae. The brown gorgon is found in India from Sikkim to Assam and north Burma and is not considered to be threatened. Though not uncommon, it is protected under Indian law under the name gyas.
Meandrusa payeni, the yellow gorgon, is a species of swallowtail found in parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia. It belongs to the hooked swallowtails genus, Meandrusa, of the family Papilionidae. It is also called the outlet sword or the sickle.
Papilio clytia, the common mime, is a swallowtail butterfly found in south and southeast Asia. The butterfly belongs to the subgenus Chilasa, the black-bodied swallowtails. It serves as an excellent example of a Batesian mimic among the Indian butterflies.
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.
Papilio (Chilasa) paradoxa, the great blue mime, is a swallowtail butterfly found in India and parts of South-East Asia. The butterfly belongs to the mime subgenus, Chilasa, of the genus Papilio. It is an excellent mimic of different species of Euploea.
Papilio (Chilasa) slateri, the blue striped mime, is a swallowtail butterfly found across south and south-east Asia. The butterfly belongs to the mime subgenus, Chilasa, of the genus Papilio, the black-bodied swallowtails. The nominate subspecies is found in India and is also called the brown mime. It is a good example of mimicry among Indian butterflies.
Athyma selenophora, the staff sergeant, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in tropical and subtropical Asia.
Charaxes marmax, the yellow rajah, is a butterfly found in India that belongs to the rajahs and nawabs group, that is, the Charaxinae group of the brush-footed butterflies family.
The Indian fritillary is a species of butterfly of the nymphalid or brush-footed family. It is usually found from south and southeast Asia to Australia.