| Papilio mechowi | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Papilionidae |
| Genus: | Papilio |
| Species: | P. mechowi |
| Binomial name | |
| Papilio mechowi | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Papilio mechowi is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae found in Africa.
Papilio mechowi is very similar to Papilio gallienus but males lack the distinct androconial patch of gallienus and the discal spots of the forewings have sharper edges. The outer edge of the forewing discal band is more curved in mechowi. Both are members of the zenobia species group. In the zenobia group the basic upperside wing pattern is black with white or yellowish bands and spots. The underside is brown and basally there is a red area marked with black stripes and spots. In the discal area there is a yellowish band with black stripes and veins. Females resemble butterflies of the genus Amauris . Both sexes lack tails.
The clade members are:
It is very similar to Papilio cyproeofila . [4] It differs from P. mechowianus in having the white band narrow. Robert Herbert Carcasson (1960) described it as: "Large, tail-less. Hindwing sharply angled at vein 4; a continuous pale yellow median band in male broken into large internervular spots in forewing. A series of large prominent yellow spots at margin of hindwing. Female has a broader yellow band. In the lower and denser forests of the Congo it is replaced by P.gallienus Distant, with which it has been confused."
The wingspan is about 100–110 mm. The forewings are dark brown. A chain of yellowish spots dominates the wing. The underside is very similar to the upside. But, the basic colour is brown.
The hindwings are dark brown. The edge is wavy. A thin, yellowish band dominates the wing. At the edge there is a chain of yellowish spots.
The underside is brown. Next to the body there are many black stripes and veins. In the middle of the wing there is a thin, yellowish band. At the edge there is a chain of yellowish spots.
The body (abdomen) is dark brown. The thorax and the head are dark brown. The underside of all parts is brown.
It is considered common and not threatened. [5]
P. mechowi was named for Friedrich Wilhelm Alexander von Mechow.
Papilio castor, the common raven, is a species of swallowtail butterfly found in Cambodia and South Asia.
Papilio aristophontes is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is endemic to Comoros.
Papilio neumoegeni is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is endemic to the islands of Sumba in Indonesia.
Atrophaneura priapus, the Priapus batwing or white-head batwing, is a swallowtail butterfly found in Burma, Malaysia, Sumatra, and Java. The subspecies A. p. hageni was named to honour Hermann August Hagen. It may be a full species.
Papilio desmondi, the Desmond's green-banded swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Africa.
Papilio gallienus, the narrow-banded swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Nigeria, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the central part of the Republic of the Congo.
Papilio zagreus is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae (swallowtails). It is found in South America, including Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and western Brazil.
Papilio sosia, the medium green-banded swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in the Afrotropical realm. The species was first described by Walter Rothschild in 1903.
Papilio charopus, the tailed green-banded swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus Papilio that is found in Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi.
Papilio chrapkowskii, the broad green-banded swallowtail or Chrapkowski's green-banded swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus Papilio that is found in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
Papilio cyproeofila, the common white-banded swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus Papilio that is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Nigeria.
Papilio fernandus is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus Papilio that is found in Equatorial Guinea.
Papilio filaprae is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus Papilio that is found in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. The species was first described by Ernst Suffert in 1904.
Papilio hornimani, the Hornimans green-banded swallowtail or Horniman's swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus Papilio that is found in the highland forests of Kenya and Tanzania.
Papilio thuraui is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus Papilio that is found in Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and the Republic of the Congo.
Papilio mechowianus is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus Papilio that is found in Angola and the Republic of the Congo.
Papilio zenobia, the Zenobia swallowtail or Volta swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus Papilio that is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of the Congo and Uganda. It was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775. The habitat consists of wetter forest in good to reasonable condition.
Papilio nobicea, the Volta swallowtail, is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found in Ghana and Togo. The habitat consists of forests in mountainous terrain.
Graphium fulleri is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae (swallowtails). It is found in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chad.
Druryia is a subgenus within the genus Papilio containing 36 species:
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Papilio mechowi . |
 | Wikispecies has information related to Papilio mechowi . |