''Graphium agamedes'', the Westwood's white lady, is a

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises ...

in the family

Papilionidae Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies in the family Papilionidae, and include over 550 species. Though the majority are tropical, members of the family inhabit every continent except Antarctica. The family includes the larges ...

(swallowtails). It is found in

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its ...

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west- central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; th ...

, the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of the C ...

and the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

.Afrotropical Butterflies: File C – Papilionidae - Tribe Leptocercini
/ref> The habitat consists of the forest/savanna transition zone.

Description

The broad black marginal band of the hindwing is always ornamented with light spots. The wings have a common light median band, which does not reach the base of the hindwing and is interrupted in cellule 5 of the forewing. Hindwing beneath without black basal, dot in cellule 7 and consequently with only two such dots. Hindwing with 3—8 usually double sub¬marginal spots. Markings white; the median band of the forewing continuous to vein 5, not covering the base of cellules 1 a and 1 b; the large white spot in the cell of the forewing (opposite to cellule 8) does not reach the front margin of the cell; forewing deep black at the base, much darker than in the discal half; the basal spot in cellule 2 of the hindwing incised distally; hindwing with two sub¬marginal and two discal streaks each in cellules 2 to 4 or 5. Ashanti and Togo. ab. ''medesaga'' Suff. only differs in that the forewing has a small spot in the apex of the cell and a double submarginal spot in cellule.Aurivillius, .O.. 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.

Taxonomy

''Graphium agamedes'' belongs to a

species group In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

with 16 members. All are very similar The species group members are: *'' Graphium abri'' Smith & Vane-Wright, 2001 *''

Graphium adamastor ''Graphium adamastor'', the Boisduval's white lady, is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae (swallowtails). It is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Republic of t ...

'' (Boisduval, 1836) *''Graphium agamedes'' (Westwood, 1842) *''

Graphium almansor ''Graphium almansor'', the Almansor white-lady swordtail or Honrath's white lady, is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae (swallowtails). It is found in Guinea, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, Angola, the Cent ...

'' (Honrath, 1884) *''

Graphium auriger ''Graphium auriger'' is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found in Senegal, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Taxonomy ''Graphium au ...

'' (Butler, 1876) *''

Graphium aurivilliusi ''Graphium aurivilliusi'' is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae (swallowtails). It is endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is only known from the type series of males. Description The broad black marginal band of th ...

'' (Seeldrayers, 1896) *''

Graphium fulleri ''Graphium fulleri'' is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae (swallowtails). It is found in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chad. Description The broad black mar ...

'' (Grose-Smith, 1883) *''

Graphium hachei ''Graphium hachei'', the elegant lady, is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found in Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. Subspecies *''Graphium hachei h ...

'' (Dewitz, 1881) *''

Graphium kigoma ''Graphium kigoma'' is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae (swallowtails). It is found in Tanzania, from the western part of the country to the Kigoma District. The habitat consists of forests (including riparian forests) and heavy woodland. ...

'' Carcasson, 1964 *''

Graphium olbrechtsi ''Graphium olbrechtsi'' is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae (swallowtails). It is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Subspecies *''Graphium olbrechtsi olbrechtsi'' (Democratic Republic of the Congo: Kabinda, Lomami, Lualaba) *' ...

'' Berger, 1950 *''

Graphium poggianus ''Graphium poggianus'' is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found in northern Angola, the southern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and north-western Zambia. Description Larger han related species the length of the forew ...

'' (Honrath, 1884) *''

Graphium rileyi ''Graphium rileyi'', the Riley's graphium or blotched lady , is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae (swallowtails). It is found in Ivory Coast and central Ghana. Its habitat consists of semi-deciduous and upland forests. Taxonomy ''Graphium ...

'' Berger, 1950 *'' Graphium schubotzi'' (Schultze, 1913) *''

Graphium simoni ''Graphium simoni'' is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae (swallowtails). It is found in Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic. Description In ''simoni'' A ...

'' (Aurivillius, 1899), *''

Graphium ucalegon ''Graphium ucalegon'', the creamy graphium, is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae (swallowtails). It is found in Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, Angola, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Re ...

'' (Hewitson, 1865) /small> *''Graphium ucalegonides'' (Staudinger, 1884)

References

*Lewis, H. L., 1974 ''Butterflies of the World'' page 89, figure 1. Graphium (butterfly)">agamedes In Greek mythology, Agamedes ( grc, Ἀγαμήδης, ''Agamēdēs'') was a son of Erginus (or, according to some traditions, the son of Stymphalus and grandson of Arcas). Family Agamedes was father of Cercyon by Epicaste, who also brought t ...