White-banded swallowtail | |
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Upperside | |
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Underside | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Papilionidae |
Genus: | Papilio |
Species: | P. echerioides |
Binomial name | |
Papilio echerioides | |
Synonyms | |
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Papilio echerioides, the white-banded swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The wingspan is 65–75 mm. It has two flight periods, first from January to March and second from September to November. [3]
The larvae feed on Clausena inaequalis , Toddalia lanceolata , Toddalia asiatica , Zanthoxylum capense , Zanthoxylum delagoense , Vepris lanceolata and Citrus species. [2]
The male is very similar to Papilio cynorta , but the median band, which is very pale yellow, tapers more strongly towards the apex. The pale spot in area (cell) 6 [4] of the forewing is always present (usually absent in P. cynorta). The female is a mimic of the butterflies Amauris echeria and Amauris albimaculata . The forewing is black with white spots, the hindwing black with a large pale ochreous discal area and white submarginal spots.
Papilio echerioides is a member of the echerioides species group. This clade includes:
Listed alphabetically: [2]