''Papilio gallienus'', the narrow-banded swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Nigeria, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the central part of the

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

Taxonomy

''Papilio gallienus'' is very similar to '' Papilio mechowi'' but males of ''gallienus'' have a distinct androconial patch and the discal spots of the forewings have diffuse edges. The outer edge of the forewing discal band is straighter in ''gallienus''. Both are members of the ''zenobia'' species group. In the ''zenobia'' group the basic upperside wing pattern is black with white or yellowish bands and spots. The underside is brown and basally there is a red area marked with black stripes and spots. In the discal area there is a yellowish band with black stripes and veins. Females resemble '' Amauris'' butterflies. Both sexes lack tails. The

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

members are: *''

Papilio cyproeofila ''Papilio cyproeofila'', the common white-banded swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus ''Papilio'' that is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Nigeria. The larvae feed on ''Piper'' spe ...

'' Butler, 1868 *''

Papilio fernandus ''Papilio fernandus'' is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus ''Papilio'' that is found in Equatorial Guinea. Taxonomy It is a member of the ''zenobia'' species group. In the ''zenobia'' group the basic upperside wing pattern is bla ...

'' Fruhstorfer, 1903 *'' Papilio filaprae'' Suffert, 1904 *''Papilio gallienus'' Distant, 1879 *'' Papilio mechowi'' Dewitz, 1881 *'' Papilio mechowianus'' Dewitz, 1885 *''

Papilio nobicea ''Papilio nobicea'', the Volta swallowtail, is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found in Ghana and Togo. The habitat consists of forests in mountainous terrain. Taxonomy It is a member of the ''zenobia'' species group. In the ''ze ...

'' Suffert, 1904 *'' Papilio zenobia'' Fabricius, 1775

Description

It is very similar to ''

'' but has cream-yellow rather than cream-white bands, and the hindwing band is much narrower than in ''P. cyproeofila'' and curved on the inner edge. Larsen, Torben B , 2005 ''Butterflies of West Africa''. Apollo Books. Steenstrup Apollo Books, Stenstrup, DenmarkISBN: 87-88757-43-9

References

External links

Butterfly Corner
Images from Naturhistorisches Museum Wien Butterflies described in 1879 gallienus Butterflies of Africa Taxa named by William Lucas Distant {{papilionidae-stub