Graphium androcles

Graphium androcles
	At the National Museum in Prague
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Papilionidae
Genus:	Graphium
Species:	G. androcles
Binomial name
	Graphium androcles; (Boisduval, 1836)
Synonyms
	Papilio androcles Boisduval, 1836; Papilio androcles latilinea Joicey & Talbot, 1922; Papiliio androcles Rothschild, 1895; Pathysa androcles;

Graphium androcles, the giant swordtail, is a butterfly of the genus Graphium belonging to the family Papilionidae (swallowtails). The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1836.

Description

Graphium androcles has a wingspan reaching about 80–120 millimetres (3.1–4.7 in). Females are larger than males. The base of the upper wings is white with three black diagonal parallel stripes. The other half of the upper wings is black, crossed by two thin white stripes. The hindwings are white, with black markings on the lower margin. The underside is similar to the upperside, but the white is partially greenish. The hindwings terminate in a very long "tail", which is the longest among all members of the relevant family. The body is black, with white sides of the abdomen.