''Papilio pelodurus'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

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 larges ...

from the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

'' Papilio'' that is found in

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northe ...

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 ...

and

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are ...

. The larvae feed on ''

Cryptocarya liebertiana ''Cryptocarya'' is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The genus includes more than 350 species, distributed through the Neotropical, Afrotropical, Indomalayan, and Australasian realms. Overview The genus incl ...

'' and '' Ocotea usambarensis''.

Taxonomy

''Papilio pelodurus'' is a member of the ''hesperus''

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 ...

. The members of the clade are *''

Papilio hesperus ''Papilio hesperus'', the black and yellow swallowtail or Hesperus swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Africa. The larvae feed on ''Beilschmiedia'' species, including '' Beilschmiedia ugandensis''. Taxonomy '' ...

'' Westwood, 1843 *''

Papilio euphranor ''Papilio euphranor'', the forest swallowtail or bush kite, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in southern Africa. The wingspan is 80–100 mm in males and 90–110 mm in females. It has two flight periods from J ...

'' Trimen, 1868 *''

Papilio horribilis ''Papilio horribilis'' is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in southern Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Ghana. The larvae possibly feed on ''Beilschmiedia manni''. Taxonomy ''Papilio horribilis'' is a member o ...

'' Butler, 1874 *''Papilio pelodurus'' Butler, 1896

Subspecies

*''Papilio pelodurus pelodurus'' (highland forest of Malawi) *''Papilio pelodurus vesper'' Le Cerf, 1924 Le Cerf, F. 1924 Catalogue annote des “types” et formes nouvelles des Papilios d’Afrique contenus dans la collection du “ Hill Museum”. ''Bulletin of the Hill Museum'', Wiley (eastern and southern Tanzania, north-eastern Zambia, northern Malawi)

References

pelodorus Butterflies described in 1896 Butterflies of Africa Taxa named by Arthur Gardiner Butler {{Papilionidae-stub