Papilio demolion

Banded Swallowtail
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Papilionidae
Genus:	Papilio
Species:	P. demolion
Binomial name
Papilio demolion Cramer, [1776]

The Banded Swallowtail (Papilio demolion) is a species of swallowtail butterfly found in Asia.

Description

Male upperside brownish black. Fore and hind wings crossed by a broad prominent oblique pale greenish or yellowish-white band that commences just before the middle of the dorsal margin of the hind wing, crosses over on to the fore wing and is continued as a series of spots that diminish in size in the upper interspaces to the apex of that wing; on the hind wing this is followed by a subterminal series of similarly-coloured lunules. Underside fuliginous black, the transverse band that crosses the wings as on the upperside. Fore wing: cell with a series of four slender longitudinal pale lines from base; the veins also picked out with pale lines; on the veins that run to the terminal margin these lines are conspicuous only at the apices; there are besides short similar lines between the veins that extend to the terminal margin. Hind wing: the interspaces beyond the transverse medial greenish-white band marked with broad jet-black streaks up to the subterminal line of greenish-white lunules; these streaks medially interrupted by a transverse line of blue scales and succeeded in interspaces 1 and 7 by preapical ochraceous-yellow spots; terminal margin beyond the line of lunules black. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen fuliginous black; beneath, the palpi and abdomen greenish white, the thorax dark grey.

Life history

Larva. "Similar to that of P. erithonius (i. e. Papilio demoleus). Anterior segments scutellated, furnished with two tentacular processes on the 2nd segment and two short fleshy processes on the 9th and anal segments." (Moore.)

Pupa. "Curved abruptly backwards; head bifid; thorax with a lengthened curved acute thoracic process" (Moore.)