Papilio ophidicephalus, the emperor swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The wingspan is 90âÂÂ110 mm in males and 100âÂÂ120 mm in females. It has two broods, one from August to December and the second from January to April.
The larvae feed on Clausena inqequalis, Calodendrum capense, Citrus species, Clausena anisata, Zanthoxylum capense and other Zanthoxylum species.
Taxonomy
Papilio ophidicephalus is a member of the menestheus species group. The members of the clade are:
Subspecies
Listed alphabetically:
- P. o. ayresi <small>van Son, 1939</small> (South Africa, Eswatini)
- P. o. chirinda <small>van Son, 1939</small> (west-central Mozambique, eastern Zimbabwe)
- P. o. cottrelli <small>van Son, 1966</small> (south-central Zambia)
- P. o. entabeni <small>van Son, 1939</small> (South Africa: Limpopo Province)
- P. o. mkuwadzi <small>Gifford, 1961</small> (south-western Tanzania, northern Malawi, north-eastern Zambia)
- P. o. niassicola <small>Storace, 1955</small> (southern and central Malawi)
- P. o. ophidicephalus <small>Oberthür, 1878</small> (eastern Kenya, Tanzania, north-eastern Zambia, south-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- P. o. phalusco <small>Suffert, 1904</small> (South Africa)
- P. o. transvaalensis <small>van Son, 1939</small> (South Africa: Limpopo Province)
- P. o. zuluensis <small>van Son, 1939</small> (South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal to the north-east)
Gallery
References
- Carcasson, R.H., 1960, "The Swallowtail Butterflies of East Africa (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae)". Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society pdf Key to East Africa members of the species group, diagnostic and other notes and figures. (Permission to host granted by The East Africa Natural History Society)
- Storace, L.,1955 Su alcune Papilionidae Africane, con descrizioni di nuove forme (Lepidoptera, Diurna). Memorie della Societa Entomologica Italiana 33:120-137.
External links