Papilio Clytia
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''Papilio clytia'', the common mime, is a
swallowtail butterfly 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 larg ...
found in
south South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
and
southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
. The butterfly belongs to the subgenus '' Chilasa'', the black-bodied swallowtails. It serves as an excellent example of a Batesian mimic among the Indian butterflies.


Description


Form ''clytia''

Both males and females have the upperside velvety black or soft dark brown. Forewing: a subterminal series of outwardly truncate or emarginate white spots; the spot in interspace 4 shifted inwards out of line; those in interspaces 6, 7 and 8 oblique to the costa, the lowest and the upper two spots elongate; this is followed by a terminal series of smaller white spots, two in interspace 1, one above the outer, and two in interspaces 8; lastly, a single spot between the subterminal and terminal series. Hindwing: a discal series of inwardly conical and outwardly emarginate, triangular, elongate white spots; a prominent tornal yellow spot broadly divided across the middle by a bar of the ground colour. The cilia touched with white in the interspaces; sometimes one or more of these specks on the cilia are broad and prominent and yellow in colour. Underside: from soft pale brown to rich dark velvety brown. Forewing with the markings as on the upperside. Hindwing: the markings also similar to those on the upperside, but the terminal margin beyond the subterminal series of white markings bears a row of comparatively large very conspicuous yellow spots, separated from the white lunules by a series of short transverse detached spots of the ground colour. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen black, the thorax anteriorly and beneath and the abdomen on the sides spotted with white.


Form ''dissimilis''

Form ''dissimilis'', Doubleday differs from the first form as follows: Upperside, forewing: cell with four streaks coalescent at base and four spots beyond at apex, a long streak in interspace 1a, two streaks with two spots beyond which are more or less coalescent with them in interspace 1, a broad streak with an outwardly emarginate spot in interspace 2, similar spots, one at base and one beyond, in 3, a single similar spot in 4, elongate streaks in 5 and 6, and much smaller elongate spots in interspaces 8 and 9. All these streaks and spots cream-white with diffuse edges; subterminal and terminal markings as in the first form. Hindwing: markings similar to those in the first form with the following differences: discoidal cell entirely white, discal white streaks longer that reach quite up to the outer margin of the cell and are continued anteriorly to the costa by elongate streaks in interspaces 6 and 7, two spots in interspace 8 and a slender streak along the costa; the subterminal and terminal markings as in the first form. Underside similar to the upperside, the cream-white markings slightly larger, the terminal series of yellow spots on the hindwing as in the first form. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen as in the typical ''clytia'' form; the head, thorax and abdomen with more prominent white spots. Wingspan: 108–121 mm


Other forms

Many variations have been described and given names in the past, and many of these names may no longer be valid. * Variety ''casyapa'', Moore – "Forewings, besides the marginal and submarginal markings with a third discal series of one to five markings." (Rothschild quoted in Bingham) * Variety ''papone'', Westwood – "Forewings black, with an obvious bluish tint in certain lights; the white spots absent from the forewings or only faintly indicated." (Rothschild quoted in Bingham) * Variety ''commixtus'', Rothschild – "Forewings black or bluish black, with a marginal, submarginal and a subdiscal series of most feebly marked spots, and with two faint spots behind the cell and a streak along the inner margin (dorsum) white; the discal markings are often indicated by a few white scales, or are entirely absent. Hindwings with apical half of the cells, seven long discal streaks reaching the base of the respective cellules (interspaces?) ( the first and the last reach the base of the wing) and a marginal and submarginal series of spots white as in ab. ''dissimils'', L. This aberration and examples intermediate between it and ''clytia'' I received from the Khasia Hills." (Rothschild quoted in Bingham) * Race ''lankeswara'' (Sri Lanka) Moore – "Differs from ''P. clytia'' in the umber-brown colour of the wings and in the small submarginal spots of the forewings; from ''P. clytia panope'', it is distinguished chiefly by the longer discal sagittiform spots of the hindwings. This subspecies has been described from slightly aberrant specimens in which the submarginal spots of the forewings are partly obliterated; in most individuals the series of these spots is complete, and on such specimens Moore's ''clytioides'' is based." (Rothschild quoted in Bingham) The dimorph or ''dissimilis'' form of this race is identical with that of ''P. clytia''. * Race ''panope'', Linn. (Myanmar and into Siam and the Malay Peninsula) – "The discal sagittate spots of the hindwings are shorter than in ''P. clytia'', sometimes they have almost disappeared from the upperside. Most frequently the marginal and submarginal markings of the forewings are more or less merged together, and form in the apex of the wing three large patches." (Rothschild quoted in Bingham) The dimorph or ''dissimilis'' form of this race also resembles that of the typical form. * Variety ''janus'', Fruhstorfer – The subterminal and terminal white markings on the forewings only faintly indicated or replaced by small black spots centred sometimes with obscure white. The white sagittate subterminal markings with obscure white. The white sagittate subterminal markings on the hindwing are in most specimens small and obscured by an irroration of dark scales. * Race ''flavolimbatus'', Oberthür (The Andamans) – Closely resembles the ''dissimils'' form of ''clytia''; differs as follows: both males and females distinctly larger, the white markings similar but proportionately larger, with the exception of the streaks in the discoidal cells of both forewings and hindwings, which are narrower and less firmly defined; on the hindwing there is a terminal row of ochraceous-yellow spots on the upper as well as on the underside, while those on the underside are very much larger than in ''P. clytia'', dimorph ''dissimilis''. The dark form ''clytia'' or any race of it is apparently unknown in the Andamans.


Distribution

This butterfly is found in
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
from Kangra to
Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...
, from
Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
to
Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
,
Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
,
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
,
Peninsular India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the Union territories of In ...
and the
Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago, made up of 200 islands, in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a mari ...
. It is also found in
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
,
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, southern China (including
Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...
),
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
,
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
,
Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
,
Kampuchea Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline along the Gulf of Thail ...
, peninsular
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
,
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
and
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
(
Flores Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. Administratively, it forms the largest island in the East Nusa Tenggara Province. The area is 14,250 km2. Including Komodo and Rinca islands ...
, Alor,
Timor Timor (, , ) is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is Indonesia–Timor-Leste border, divided between the sovereign states of Timor-Leste in the eastern part and Indonesia in the ...
and
Moa Moa are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand. Moa or MOA may also refer to: Arts and media * Metal Open Air, a Brazilian heavy metal festival * MOA Museum of Art in Japan * The Moas, New Zealand film awards People * Moa ...
). Several regional variants and forms are recognized.


Status

Generally common and not threatened. The nominate subspecies is protected by law in India.


Habitat

This is a butterfly of hilly regions but also found at lower elevations. It is plentiful in the pre-monsoon and monsoon period and becomes scarce later on.


Habits

The common mime has two mimetic forms in both sexes. The nominate form ''P. clytia'' form ''clytia'' mimics the common Indian crow (''Euploea core'') while the form ''dissimilis'' mimics the blue tiger (''Tirumala limniace''). The flight of the mime also resembles that of the model, fluttering, neither weak nor strong, sometimes staying close to the ground and at other times flying strongly up into the treetops. It mud-puddles on stream banks in summer. Known to bask and usually sits with the wings spread wide open while feeding on nectar from flowers.


Life history


Eggs

Spherical, shiny and orange yellow, laid on the upper surface of leaves.


Larva

The larvae and pupa are stated by Mackinnon to resemble closely the larva and pupa of '' P. agestor''. Davidson and Aitken's description of them is as follows: "Not unlike the larva of the ''Ornithoptera'' group in form, having similar rows of fleshy processes, but it is by far the handsomest ''Papilio'' larva we know, being of a dark umber-brown colour with a bright red spot at the base of each process, a dorsal row of large irregular yellow patches and a partial lateral row ending in a diagonal band which connects the two." Velvet black or dark green. Has carmine spots. Has a dark red-brown longitudinal band and red spots. Two rows of sharp spines on segments 1 to 4 and single row on the others. The
osmeterium The osmeterium is a defensive organ found in all papilionid larvae, in all stages. The organ is situated in the prothoracic segment and can be everted when the larva feels threatened. The everted organ resembles a fleshy forked tongue (not unlik ...
is light indigo blue.


Larval host plants

The larvae feed on species of the laurel family ''
Lauraceae Lauraceae, or the laurels, is a plant Family (biology), family that includes the bay laurel, true laurel and its closest relatives. This family comprises about 2850 known species in about 45 genus (biology), genera worldwide. They are dicotyled ...
'' * '' Alseodaphne semecarpifolia'' * ''
Cinnamomum camphora ''Camphora officinarum'' is a species of evergreen tree indigenous to warm temperate to subtropical regions of East Asia, including countries such as China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Korea, and Japan. It is known by various names, most notably the camph ...
'' * '' Cinnamonum macrocarpum'' * ''
Cinnamomum verum ''Cinnamomum verum'' ( synonym ''Cinnamomum zeylanicum'', also called true cinnamon tree or Ceylon cinnamon tree) is a small evergreen tree belonging to the family Lauraceae, native to Sri Lanka. The inner bark of the tree is historically regard ...
'' * '' Litsea chinensis'' * '' Litsea deccansis'' * '' Litsea glutinosa'' * '' Tetranthera apetala''


Pupa

"Is unique, exhibiting one of the most remarkable instances of protective resemblance we know. It exactly resembles a dead twig about an inch long and less than a quarter of an inch in diameter, broken of irregularly at one end. The last segment is so modified that the pupa is not attached by one point, but appears as if it had grown out of the branch to which it affixes itself." An inch in length, brownish with streaks and blotches. Rough surface with tubercles. Has uncanny resemblance to a broken twig and is suspended at an appropriate angle. File:Common Mime Egg (2550947464).jpg, Egg File:015.Common Mime Caterpillar (Brijesh Pookkottur).jpg, Larva File:Common mime emergence 003 (2550126161).jpg, Chrysalis File:Common mime emergence 354 (2550122735).jpg, Imago (form ''dissimilis'') File:Papilio clytia at Kadavoor.jpg, Imago (form ''clytia'') File:Common mime emergence 512 (2550122607).jpg, Imago (form ''dissimilis'') File:Papilio clytia common mime vijayanrajapuram 05.jpg, Papilio clytia_larva from Kerala File:Common Mime Papilio clytia form clytia by Dr. Raju Kasambe DSCN1839 (6).jpg, Imago (form ''clytia'')


Key to forms

From Bingham, C. T. (1907). ''
The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma ''The Fauna of British India'' (short title) with long titles including ''The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma'', and ''The Fauna of British India Including the Remainder of the Oriental Region'' is a series of scientific books t ...
''. Butterflies. Vol 2. * A. Forewing upperside: not glossed with blue, or if blue-glossed, then wing uniform without other markings. ** a. Basal half or more of both forewing and hindwing uniform without white markings. *** a1. Forewing upperside: no blue gloss at base. **** a2. Forewing upperside with prominent subterminal and terminal, sometimes also a postdiscal, series of white spots. ***** a3. These spots not elongate, not coalescent towards apex and not formed into a prominent apical white patch. ****** ''P. clytia'' ***** b3. These spots elongate and coalescent towards apex and there form a prominent white patch. ****** ''P. clytia'' race ''panope'' **** b2. Forewing upperside without or with only more or less obsolescent series of subterminal and terminal white spots; such spots when present always very small. ***** ''P. clytia'' race ''lankeswara'' *** b1. Forewing upperside with a more or less obvious blue gloss at base. **** ''P. clytia'' variety ''papone'' ** b. Basal half of forewing and hindwing not uniform, with a streak in cell and in posterior interspaces. *** a1. Hindwing upperside: discal series of white streaks broad and long; underside: terminal series of ochraceous-yellow spots not remarkably large. **** ''P. clytia'' dimorph ''dissimils'' *** b1. Hindwing upperside: discal series of white streaks short and narrow; underside: terminal series of ochraceous-yellow spots remarkably large. **** ''P. clytia'' race ''flavolimbatus'' * B. Forewing upperside: richly glossed with blue. ** a. Hindwing: male without, female with, whitish streaks in cell and interspaces that extend up to base of wing. *** ''P. paradoxus'' race ''telearchus'' ** b. Hindwing: Male and female with white discal markings, but none that extend up to base of wing *** ''P. caunus'' race ''danisepa''.


Cited references


Other references

* * * * *


External links


ASEAN Biodiversity database
{{Taxonbar, from=Q26238 Chilasa Fauna of Southeast Asia Insects of Thailand Butterflies of Malaysia Insects of Pakistan Butterflies described in 1758 Butterflies of Singapore Butterflies of Indochina Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Butterflies of Indonesia Butterflies of Sri Lanka Lepidoptera of the Philippines