Papilio krishna

Last updated

Krishna peacock
Krishna Peacock - Alka Vaidya.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Genus: Papilio
Species:
P. krishna
Binomial name
Papilio krishna
Moore, 1857

Papilio krishna, the Krishna peacock, is a large swallowtail butterfly found in forests in China, Nepal, north east India, Myanmar and Vietnam.

Contents

Description

Male upper (left) and underside (right) PapilioKrishna 490 2.jpg
Male upper (left) and underside (right)

Resembles Papilio paris generally, but differs in many points as follows: Upperside: ground colour more of a brownish black, irrorated similarly to parti with, green scales, but the scales smaller and more sparsely spread. Forewing: the postdiscal transverse band well defined, complete, formed of white scaling with only a thin sprinkling of green scales on its inner margin, generally erect or slightly curved, rarely slightly sinuous. Hindwing: upper discal patch metallic greenish blue, smaller than in P. paris, but the portions of it in interspaces 6 and 7 more extended towards the termen, the metallic golden-green band that joins the patch on its inner side to the dorsal margin more conspicuous than in P. paris; the tornal ocellus as in P. paris, but above it a subterminal series of claret-red lunules in interspaces 2, 3, 4 and 5, followed by a series of ochraceous-red obscure terminal narrow lunules in the interspaces, the cilia on the outer margin of each conspicuously white. Underside: forewing as in P. paris but an erect ochraceous-white postdiscal band as on the upperside limits; the series of internervular pale streaks on the outer half of the wing. Hindwing: a well-defined discal ochraceous-white band formed of a series of somewhat lunular marks in the interspaces, these increase in width anteriorly; a subterminal series of claret-red lunules traversed by violet scaling on the inner side as in P. paris, but much broader and more prominent; finally a terminal series of ochraceous-yellow lunular marks in the interspaces; the cilia that border each lunule white. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen as in P. paris. [1]

P. k. thawgawa, Chudu Razi Hills, north eastern Burma Papiliokrishnathawgawapr.jpg
P. k. thawgawa, Chudu Razi Hills, north eastern Burma

Range

Sikkim, Bhutan, Darjeeling, Nagaland, Manipur, Myanmar and all around the Himalayas.

Subspecies

Status

The IUCN Red Data Book records the status of the Krishna peacock as uncommon. It is not known to be threatened, though like all peacocks, it is highly sought in trade. [2]

Habitat

Generally found in the forests of the Himalayas where it flies from 3,000 to 9,000 feet (910 to 2,740 m).

Food plants

The following food plants from family Rutaceae have been recorded:

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Papilio paris</i> Species of butterfly

Papilio paris, the Paris peacock swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly found in the Indian subcontinent and southeast Asia.

<i>Papilio alcmenor</i> Species of butterfly

Papilio alcmenor, the redbreast, is a species of swallowtail butterfly found in South Asia.

<i>Papilio crino</i> Species of butterfly

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.

<i>Papilio arcturus</i> Species of butterfly

Papilio arcturus, the blue peacock, is a species of swallowtail butterfly found in the Indian subcontinent.

<i>Papilio bootes</i> Species of butterfly

Papilio bootes, the tailed redbreast, is a swallowtail butterfly found in Asia. Within their wide distribution about four population variants have been named as subspecies. They have been placed within the Menelaides clade by a 2015 phylogenetics study.

<i>Papilio castor</i> Species of butterfly

Papilio castor, the common raven, is a species of swallowtail butterfly found in Cambodia and South Asia.

<i>Papilio elephenor</i> Species of butterfly

Papilio elephenor, the yellow-crested spangle, is a species of swallowtail butterfly found in Northeast India. Following decades without confirmed sightings, it was rediscovered in 2009 in Assam.

<i>Papilio prexaspes</i> Species of butterfly

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.

<i>Papilio nephelus</i> Species of butterfly

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.

<i>Papilio polyctor</i> Species of butterfly

Papilio polyctor, the common peacock or indian peacock or mahaonovaya indian butterfly with emerald- is a swallowtail butterfly found in the Indian subcontinent. It is found in the Himalayas and parts of India from the foothills to 7,000 feet (2,100 m) between March and October. It has distinct dry- and wet-season forms. The butterfly frequents Buddleia flowers. Its food plant is Zanthoxylum alatum of the family Rutaceae. Papilio polyctor has three subspecies, consisting of Papilio polyctor significans, Papilio polyctor stockleyi, and Papilio polyctor xiei.

<i>Papilio buddha</i> Species of butterfly

Papilio buddha, the Malabar banded peacock, is a species of swallowtail butterfly found in the Western Ghats of India. The Government of Kerala declared it as the official Kerala state butterfly.

<i>Teinopalpus imperialis</i> Species of butterfly

Teinopalpus imperialis, the Kaisar-i-Hind, is a rare species of swallowtail butterfly found from Nepal and north east India to north Vietnam. The common name literally means "emperor of India". The Kaisar-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.

<i>Meandrusa sciron</i> Species of butterfly

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.

<i>Meandrusa payeni</i> Species of butterfly

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.

<i>Papilio agestor</i> Species of butterfly

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.

<i>Papilio epycides</i> Species of butterfly

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.

<i>Papilio mayo</i> Species of butterfly

Papilio mayo, the Andaman Mormon, is a species of swallowtail butterfly that is endemic to the Andamans in the Bay of Bengal. 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.

<i>Parnassius simo</i> Species of butterfly

Parnassius simo, the black-edged Apollo, is a high-altitude butterfly found in the Himalayas which belongs to the Papilionidae (swallowtail) family.

<i>Charaxes marmax</i> Species of butterfly

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.

<i>Auzakia</i> Monotypic brush-footed butterfly genus

Auzakia is a monotypic butterfly genus in the family Nymphalidae. It contains the single species, Auzakia danava, the commodore, which is found from Tibet to Sumatra.

References

  1. Bingham, C.T. (1907). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Vol. II (1st ed.). London: Taylor and Francis, Ltd.
  2. Collins, N. Mark; Morris, Michael G. (1985). Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World: The IUCN Red Data Book. Gland & Cambridge: IUCN. ISBN   978-2-88032-603-6 via Biodiversity Heritage Library.

Other reading