Papilio rex


Papilio rex, the regal swallowtail or king papilio, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Africa.
It is a semi-montane and montane forest species.
The larvae feed on Teclea tricocarpa, Teclea stuhlmanni, Calodendrum, Citrus, Clausena, Fagara and Toddalia species.
In the early morning and late afternoon adults of both sexes descend from the forest canopy to feed from the flowers of Lantana, Impatiens and Bougainvillea. It hilltops on granite outcrops and mud puddles.
The Kenyan forms mimic Tirumala formosa, the forest monarch butterfly.

Description

The male is significantly larger than the female, but the patterns of the two sexes are similar. The male reaches a wingspan of 17 cm. On the obverse, the wings are black or dark brown. The forewings are quite elongated, they are orange at the base and have white macules. The hindwings are rounded, white or cream in the basal area and crossed by black veins while the rest of the wing is studded with white macules. The underside is similar but the wings are slightly lighter and the orange part of the forewings is more extensive. The thorax and head are black and dotted with white macules, the abdomen is black above and white below and on the sides.
This species mimics the appearance of Tirumala formosa and more precisely of Tirumala formosa morgeni, a species of poisonous butterfly

Taxonomy

Papilio rex is a member of the dardanus [species group. The members of the clade are:

Subspecies

  • Papilio rex rex
  • Papilio rex mimeticus Rothschild, 1897
  • Papilio rex franciscae Carpenter, 1928
  • Papilio rex alinderi Bryk, 1928
  • Papilio rex schultzei Aurivillius, 1904
  • Papilio rex abyssinicana Vane-Wright, 1995
  • Papilio rex regulana Vane-Wright, 1995