''Graphium ucalegon'', the creamy graphium, 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

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 ...

, Equatorial Guinea,

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...

, the Republic of the Congo,

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

, 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 ...

, 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 ...

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The south ...

and

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

.Afrotropical Butterflies: File C – Papilionidae - Tribe Leptocercini
/ref> Its habitat consists of

primary forests An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

. Adults are on wing mainly just before the beginning of the rain season. Adult males

mud-puddle Mud-puddling, or simply puddling, is a behaviour most conspicuous in butterflies, but occurs in other animals as well, mainly insects; they seek out nutrients in certain moist substances such as rotting plant matter, mud and carrion and they suc ...

, but have also been observed feeding on rotten fish.

Subspecies

*''Graphium ucalegon ucalegon'' (western Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, north-western Angola, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo) *''Graphium ucalegon fonteinei'' Berger, 1981 (Democratic Republic of the Congo: Sankuru, Kabinda, Lomami, Lualaba) *''Graphium ucalegon schoutedeni'' Berger, 1950 Berger , L.A. 1950. Catologues Raisonnés de la Faune Entomologique du Congo Belge Lépidoptères-Rhopalocères 1. – Fam. Papilionidae. ''Annales du Musée Royal du Congo Belge. C-Zoologie'' (3) 8 (1): 1-102. (eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, western Uganda, north-western Tanzania)

Taxonomy

''Graphium ucalegon'' 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 ''Graphium abri'' is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found in the Central African Republic. and is known from just two individuals both lacking post discal markings. Taxonomy ''Graphium abri'' belongs to a species group with 16 mem ...

'' 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 ''Graphium agamedes'', the Westwood's white lady, is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae (swallowtails). It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ...

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

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 ucalegon Graphium (butterfly)">ucalegon Butterflies of Africa Butterflies described in 1865">Butterflies of Africa">Graphium (butterfly)">ucalegon Butterflies of Africa Butterflies described in 1865 Taxa named by William Chapman Hewitson {{Papilionidae-stub