Graphium philonoe, the eastern white-lady swordtail, is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found in Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique.Afrotropical Butterflies: File C – Papilionidae - Tribe Leptocercini Its habitat consists of coastal and riparian forests.
Description For terms, see External morphology of Lepidoptera
Differs from [related species] in that the discal spots of cellules 1 a and 1 b of the forewing cover the base of these cellules; the submarginal spots of cellules 4—8 of the fore¬wing are single, rounded and rather large, those of the hindwing on the contrary represented in each cellule by two streaks; the basal spots of cellules 2, 3 and 6 of the hindwing are sharply defined distally, transversely cut off or rounded; the cell of the forewing before the middle with three white dots in a transverse line, then a large transverse spot divided into three parts by the dark folds and finally at the apex two white dots; the discal spots of cellules 2—4 of the forewing are usually rounded and more or less separated. — German and British East Africa.Aurivillius, [P.O.]C. 1908-1924. In: Seitz, A. Die Großschmetterlinge der Erde Band 13: Abt. 2, Die exotischen Großschmetterlinge, Die afrikanischen Tagfalter, 1925, 613 Seiten, 80 Tafeln (The Macrolepidoptera of the World 13).Alfred Kernen Verlag, Stuttgart.
Biology Males may infrequently mud-puddle. Both sexes are attracted to flowers, including Maerua species.
The larvae feed on Uvaria leptocladon, Uvaria chamae and Annona species.
Subspecies Graphium philonoe philonoe (Democratic Republic of the Congo, coast of Kenya, eastern Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique) Graphium philonoe whalleyi (Talbot, 1929)Talbot, G. 1929a. New forms of African Lepidoptera. Bulletin of the Hill Museum, Witley 3:72-77. (southern Sudan, south-western Ethiopia, northern Uganda, north-western Kenya)
Taxonomy It is a member of the tynderaeus -clade (Graphium tynderaeus, Graphium philonoe, Graphium latreillianus).In some works it is seen as the sole member of species group philonoe.
Images External images from Royal Museum of Central Africa.
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