''Graphium antheus'', the large or larger striped swordtail, is a species of

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), found in tropical and sub-Saharan Africa.''Graphium''
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Description

The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan ...

is 65–70 mm in males and 70–75 mm in females.The transverse bars in the cell of the forewing all separated; the apical spot in the cell of the hindwing above completely separated from the median band of the cell by the black ground-colour; the middle cell of the hindwing beneath with a deep black and red spot. The larva is brown to brown-green with a yellow belt on the third segment and lives on Artabotrys, an Anonacea. Sierra Leone to Angola. — In ab.''evombaroides'' Eim. the apical spot of the cell of the hindwing above is more or less united with the median band; otherwise not different from antheus. West Africa. — In ab. ''utuba'' Hamps. the fourth and fifth transverse bands in the cell of the forewing are united posteriorly, forming a U-shaped spot; otherwise agreeing with ''nyassae''. Delagoa and British East Africa. — ''nyassae Btlr''. has the middle cell of the hindwing beneath without the black and red spot; the transverse bars in the coll of the fore wing separated. Natal to British East Africa. — ab. (var. ?) ''lurlinus'' Btlr. is somewhat larger than ''antheus'' and has the green markings of the upperside more extended, especially the transverse bars in the cell of the fore wing and the submarginal spots of both wings are nearly twice as large as in the latter. Nyassaland and in the neighbourhood of Victoria Nyanza.'' mercutius'' Sm. & Kirby. Markings of the upper surface yellowish white; second and third transverse bands and again fourth and fifth transverse bands united to form a large, almost quadrate spot; the hindwing on both surfaces with a red spot in 1 c and 2 and beneath also with a red dot in cellule 7; the cell of the hinclwing on the other hand without red or black spot. Only one specimen known. Is perhaps only an aberration of the female of ''nyassae.'' Delagoa Bay.

Biology

The flight period is year-round, peaking from November to December. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. Th ...

feeds on '' Uvaria caffra'', ''

Artabotrys monteiroae ''Artabotrys'' is a genus of plants in the Annonaceae family. There are over 100 species in the Old World tropics, with 31 species in Africa. It is part of the custard apple family (Annonaceae). All species are small trees or shrubs with a tenden ...

'', ''

Annona reticulata ''Annona reticulata'' is a small deciduous or semi-evergreen tree in the plant family Annonaceae and part of the Annonas group. It is best known for its fruit, called custard apple, a common name shared with fruits of several other species in ...

'', ''

Annona senegalensis ''Annona senegalensis'', commonly known as African custard-apple, wild custard apple, wild soursop, ( Mandinka language), and ( Wolof language) is a species of flowering plant in the custard apple family, Annonaceae. The specific epithet, ''s ...

'', ''

Artabotrys brachypetalus ''Artabotrys'' is a genus of plants in the Annonaceae family. There are over 100 species in the Old World tropics, with 31 species in Africa. It is part of the custard apple family ( Annonaceae). All species are small trees or shrubs with a tend ...

'', '' Cleistochlamys kirkii'', '' Hexalobus monopetalus'', ''

Landolphia ugandensis ''Landolphia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae first described as a genus in 1806. They take the form of vines that scramble over host trees. ''Landolphia'' is native to tropical Africa. Characteristics There are about f ...

'', '' Monanthotaxis caffra'', '' Monodora junodi'', and ''

Uvaria kirkii ''Uvaria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Annonaceae. The generic name ''uvaria'' is derived from the Latin ''uva'' meaning grape, likely because the edible fruit of some species in the genus resemble grapes. Circumscription Sp ...

''. Large striped swordtail (Graphium antheus) underside.jpg, Fresh, underside
Bobiri Forest,

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 ...

Large striped swordtail (Graphium antheus) mature.jpg, Mature
Bobiri Forest,

Large striped swordtail (Graphium antheus) underside, mature.jpg, Mature, underside
Bobiri Forest,

Taxonomy

''Graphium antheus'' is the nominal member of the ''antheus'' - clade (''antheus'', ''

Graphium evombar ''Graphium evombar'' is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found on Madagascar and the Comoros. The habitat consists of forests. Description Markings of the upper surface greenish white; the middle cell of the forewing with 5 almos ...

'' , ''

Graphium kirbyi ''Graphium kirbyi'', the Kirby's swordtail, is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found along the coast of Kenya and from the coast of Tanzania, inland to Morogoro. The habitat consists of coastal forests. Description The hindwing ...

'', ''

Graphium junodi ''Graphium junodi'', the Junod's swordtail, is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and along the eastern border of Zimbabwe. The habitat consist ...

'', '' Graphium polistratus'', ''

Graphium colonna ''Graphium colonna'', the black swordtail or mamba swordtail, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae (swallowtails). It is found in Africa (Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Democrati ...

'', ''

Graphium illyris ''Graphium illyris'', the cream-banded swordtail, is a forest butterfly of the swallowtail family (Papilionidae). It is native to the Afrotropical realm. Description The markings of the upper surface yellow; the median band curved slightly bas ...

'', ''

Graphium gudenusi ''Graphium gudenusi'' is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda. Its habitat consists of forests. It is a generally scarce species. Males fly along the banks of ...

''). Aurivillius in Seitz places ''evombar'' and ''antheus'' in the ''policenes'' Group Subgroup 1 circumscribed-Hindwing with a long, narrow tail of uniform width at vein 4. Frons black with white lateral margins. Wings above with green or greenish white markings. Cell of the forewing with 5 — 6 transverse bands or spots.Both wings with submarginal spots. Hindwing beneath with a so-called ornamental band, formed of red spots. Besides the markings already mentioned the forewing has a spot at the base of cellules 1 a and 1 b, an oblique transverse streak in the basal part of these cellules and 8 discal spots, one each in cellules 1 a — 6 and 8; the hindwing has a narrow transverse band at the base, a narrow median band which consists only of three spots (in the cell and in cellules 2 and 7) and usually also 7 discal spots in cellules 1 c -7, of which, however, that in 1 c is red. The larva has four pairs of spines, one pair each on the 1., 2., 3. and penultimate segments. The pupa is very angularly widened at the beginning of the abdomen and has a long hump on the mesothorax. Subgroup 1.Hindwing in the apex of the cell with an additional light spot which is sometimes more or less united with the spot of the median band. The discal spot in cellule 3 of the hindwing is elongated and nearly or quite reaches the base of the cellule. Wings beneath spotted with red at the extreme basal margin. Cell of the forewing behind the fifth transverse streak unicolorous, without spots.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.

References

*Carcasson, R.H 1960 The Swallowtail Butterflies of East Africa (Lepidoptera,Papilionidae). ''Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society'
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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 * *

antheus In Greek mythology, Antheus (Ancient Greek: Ἀνθεύς derived from ἀνθέω a''ntheō'' "to blossom, to bloom") may refer to: *Antheus of Lyctus, son of Agelaus Agelaus or Agelaos (Ancient Greek: Ἀγέλαος) is, in Greek mythology, ...

Butterflies of Africa Butterflies described in 1779 {{papilionidae-stub