Papilio Gigon

''Papilio gigon'' is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is confined to islands in eastern Indonesia (Sulawesi, Sula and Talaud), but common where found

The wingspan is 120–130 mm.Sexes similar, the female paler than the male Much larger than '' P. demolion'', the costal margin of the forewing as in many Celebes butterflies strongly curved, the cell correspondingly strongly widened; also the cell of the hindwing differently formed from that of ''demolion'', the subcostal arising much further distally than in that species, the band of the hindwing placed basally to the subcostal, cell of the hindwing beneath margined with yellow at the apex; in the genitalia nearest to '' P. liomedon''. The young larva olive-green, prothorax and anal segment each with a pair of long tubercles, above the legs from the head to the anus a white stripe at each side, in the middle of the body a broad, dentate, white transverse band, which is joined to the lateral stripes. The full-grown larva blue-green, on the 3. segment a black transverse band, at the hindmargin of the 4. segment a transverse band which is light brown above, a third transverse band on the 7. and 8. segments, and a triangular lateral spot on the 9. segment; the first band in a larva observed by Kuhn on the island of Bangkai spectacle¬shaped, dark brown. Pupa light grass-green, with long, curved thoracic horn; a lateral stripe from the horn to the anal extremity brown, a central stripe of the same colour on the back

''gigon'' Fldr. (= ''cresphontes'' Bdv. nec Cr.) (21 a). On the under surface of the hindwing the first black distal mark is about as broad at the costa as the yellowish white band, and the yellow margining of the apex of the cell is usually narrow and always produced in points at the veins. The whole of Celebes; whether the specimens from Siao and Bangkai agree with those from Celebes is not known to me ordan Common; its flight very rapid. — ''neriotes'' Rothsch., from Talaut and Sangir. The submarginal spots of the forewing beneath confluent, which sometimes also occurs in ''gigon'' in which case, however, the veins of this hand are more broadly dusted with white-yellow towards the base than in ''neriodes''; the marginal spots of the hindwing beneath larger in both sexes than in ''gigon''. — ''mangolinus'' Fruhst. On the under surface of the hindwing the yellow margining of the cell always broad and the first black discal patch smaller than in ''gigon'' and ''neriotes''; Sulla Islands: Mangola and Besi.
Seitz, A. Band 9: Abt. 2, Die exotischen Großschmetterlinge, Die indo-australischen Tagfalter, 1927, 1197 Seiten 177 Tafeln Very similar to '' Papilio noblei''

The larvae feed on ''Citrus'' species and '' Euodia latifolia'', '' Euodia roxburghiana'', and '' Glycosmis pentaphylla''.

Subspecies

*''Papilio gigon gigon'' (Sulawesi)
*''Papilio gigon mangolinus'' Fruhstorfer, 1899 (Sula Islands)
*''Papilio gigon neriotes'' Rothschild, 1908 (Talaud, Sangir)

Philately

''P. gigas'' appears on a 1988 postage stamp of Indonesia

Gallery

File:Papilio gigon-01 (xndr).jpg , Imago habitus
File:Glycosmis pentaphylla kz6.jpg , ''Glycosmis pentaphylla'' larval foodplant
File:Peta Relif Pulau Sulawesi.jpg , Relief map of Celebes
File:PapilioGigonLarva5.jpg , larva

References

External links

Insecta pro
*

Papilionidae of the World: a pictorial summary

Papilio, gigon
Butterflies described in 1864
Butterflies of Indonesia
Taxa named by Cajetan von Felder
Taxa named by Rudolf Felder

{{Papilionidae-stub