Troidini

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Troidini
Ornithoptera goliath samson MHNT dos.jpg
Ornithoptera goliath female
Atrophaneura alcinous.jpg
Byasa alcinous
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Tribe: Troidini
Talbot, 1939 [1]
Genera

See text

Troidini is a tribe of swallowtail butterflies that consists of some 135 species in 12 genera. Members of this tribe are superlatively large among butterflies (in terms of both wingspan and surface area) and are often strikingly coloured.

Contents

Genera

The tribe consists of the following genera:

Ecology

Members of this tribe feed on poisonous pipevine plants, typically of the genus Aristolochia , as larvae. As a result, they themselves are poisonous and unpalatable to predators (Pinheiro 1986), like the pipevine swallowtail, and are mimicked by other butterflies (Scott 1986).

Examples of butterflies in Troidini

Citations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swallowtail butterfly</span> Butterflies of family Papilionidae

Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies in the family Papilionidae, and include over 550 species. Though the majority are tropical, members of the family inhabit every continent except Antarctica. The family includes the largest butterflies in the world, the birdwing butterflies of the genus Ornithoptera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osmeterium</span> Odoriferous defensive structure

The osmeterium is a defensive organ found in all papilionid larvae, in all stages. The organ is situated in the prothoracic segment and can be everted when the larva feels threatened. The everted organ resembles a fleshy forked tongue, and this along with the large eye-like spots on the body might be used to startle birds and small reptiles. The osmeterial organ remains inside the body in the thoracic region in an inverted position and is everted when the larva is disturbed in any way emitting a foul, disagreeable odor which serves to repel ants, small spiders and mantids. To humans, this odour is rather strong but pleasant, usually smelling like a concentrated scent of the caterpillar’s food plant and pineapple.

<i>Aristolochia</i> Genus of plants in the family Aristolochiaceae

Aristolochia is a large plant genus with over 500 species that is the type genus of the family Aristolochiaceae. Its members are commonly known as birthwort, pipevine or Dutchman's pipe and are widespread and occur in the most diverse climates. Some species, like A. utriformis and A. westlandii, are threatened with extinction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birdwing</span> Butterflies in swallowtail family

Birdwings are butterflies in the swallowtail family, that belong to the genera Trogonoptera, Troides, and Ornithoptera. Most recent authorities recognise 36 species, however, this is debated, and some authorities include additional genera. Birdwings are named for their exceptional size, angular wings, and birdlike flight. They are found across tropical Asia, mainland and archipelagic Southeast Asia, and Australasia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papilioninae</span> Subfamily of butterflies

Papilioninae is a subfamily of the butterfly family Papilionidae. Papilioninae are found worldwide, but most species are distributed in the tropics. There are roughly 480 species, of which 27 occur in North America.

<i>Pachliopta hector</i> Species of butterfly

Pachliopta hector, the crimson rose, is a large swallowtail butterfly belonging to the genus Pachliopta (roses) of the red-bodied swallowtails. It is recorded as a species of "Least Concern (LC)" by IUCN.

<i>Battus</i> (butterfly) Genus of butterflies

Battus is a New World genus of butterflies that are usually found around pipevine plants. The caterpillars feed off the poisonous pipevines, making the insects poisonous themselves; they taste very bad to ward off predators. Since birds avoid these butterflies, other swallowtail species mimic their coloration. The common North American species are Battus polydamas and Battus philenor.

<i>Battus philenor</i> Species of butterfly

Battus philenor, the pipevine swallowtail or blue swallowtail, is a swallowtail butterfly found in North America and Central America. This butterfly is black with iridescent-blue hindwings. They are found in many different habitats, but are most commonly found in forests. Caterpillars are often black or red, and feed on compatible plants of the genus Aristolochia. They are known for sequestering acids from the plants they feed on in order to defend themselves from predators by being poisonous when consumed. The adults feed on the nectar of a variety of flowers. Some species of Aristolochia are toxic to the larvae, typically tropical varieties. While enthusiasts have led citizen efforts to conserve pipevine swallowtails in their neighborhoods on the West coast, the butterfly has not been the subject of a formal program in conservation or protected in legislation. The butterfly is however of "Special Concern" in Michigan, which is on the Northern limit of its range.

<i>Byasa polyeuctes</i> Species of butterfly

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.

<i>Losaria rhodifer</i> Species of butterfly

Losaria rhodifer, the Andaman clubtail, is a rare species of the swallowtail family, Papilionidae, native to India. The butterfly belongs to the genus Losaria, or the clubtails, as they are commonly known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-bodied swallowtail</span> Species of butterfly

Red-bodied swallowtails or ruby swallowtail are butterflies in the swallowtail family, that belong to the genera Atrophaneura, Byasa, Losaria, or Pachliopta. They are generally found in Asia.

<i>Ornithoptera richmondia</i> Species of birdwing butterfly

Ornithoptera richmondia, the Richmond birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly that is endemic to Australia. It is the second smallest of the birdwing species, the smallest being Ornithoptera meridionalis.

<i>Ornithoptera aesacus</i> Species of birdwing butterfly

Ornithoptera aesacus, the Obi Island birdwing, is a rare species of birdwing butterfly, endemic to the Island of Obira, Indonesia.

<i>Atrophaneura priapus</i> Species of butterfly

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.

<i>Troides cuneifera</i> Species of butterfly

Troides cuneifera, the Mountain Birdwing, is a large butterfly belonging to the swallowtail family, Papilionidae, found in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java and Borneo.

<i>Troides amphrysus</i> Species of butterfly

Troides amphrysus, the Malay birdwing, is a birdwing butterfly in the genus Troides in the family Papilionidae.

<i>Pachliopta antiphus</i> Species of butterfly

Pachliopta antiphus is a species of butterfly from the family Papilionidae (swallowtails) that is found in Sumatra, Borneo and the Philippines.

Byasa daemonius is a butterfly described by Sergei Alphéraky in 1895. It is found in Tibet and western China, that belongs to the windmills genus Byasa, comprising tailed black swallowtail butterflies with white spots and red submarginal crescents.

References

  1. Talbot, G. (1939). "Tribe I. Troiidini". The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma: Butterflies. Vol. 1. London: Taylor and Francis. p. 61.