''Papilio phorcas'', the apple-green swallowtail or green-banded swallowtail, is a

butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

of the family

Papilionidae Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful Butterfly, 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 includ ...

. It is found in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. The larvae feed on '' Teclea nobilis'', '' Teclea simplicifolia'', '' Macrostylis villosa'', '' Vepris'', '' Calodendrum'', ''

Clausena ''Clausena'' is a genus of flowering plants in the citrus family, Rutaceae. It was first defined by the Dutch botanist Nicolaas Laurens Burman in 1768. It is distributed in Africa, southern Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.

'', ''

Citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...

'', '' Fagara'' and '' Toddalia'' species.

Description

A tailed species. The ground colour is black, with green markings. File:Papilio phorcas female dorsal.jpg, Female dorsal view File:Papilio phorcas female ventral.jpg, Same, ventral File:Papilio phorcas male dorsal.jpg, Male, dorsal File:Papilio phorcas male ventral.jpg, Same, ventral File:Papilio phorcas male dorsal, green.jpg, More green looking male

Taxonomy

''Papilio phorcas'' is a member of the ''dardanus''

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 In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

are: *'' Papilio dardanus'' Brown, 1776 *'' Papilio constantinus'' Ward, 1871 *'' Papilio delalandei'' Godart, 824/small> *''Papilio phorcas'' Cramer, 775/small> *'' Papilio rex'' Oberthür, 1886

Subspecies

*''P. p. phorcas'' (Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria) *''P. p. ansorgei'' Rothschild, 1896. (Kenya (highland forest east of the Rift Valley)) *''P. p. congoanus'' Rothschild, 1896 (Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Central African Republic, northern Angola, Congo Republic, western Uganda, western Tanzania, northern Zambia) *''P. p. nyikanus'' Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 (highland forest of north-eastern Zambia, Malawi and eastern Tanzania) *''P. p. ruscoei'' Krüger, 1928 (eastern Uganda, Kenya (highlands west of the Rift Valley)) *''P. p. sudanicola'' Storace, 1965 (southern Sudan) *''P. p. tenuifasciatus'' Kielland, 1990 (northern Tanzania, Kenya) *''P. p. bardamu'' Canu, 1994 Canu, J.G. 1994. Souvenirs entomologiques d'Afrique et des iles voisines (Lepidoptera, Rhopalocera). ''Lambillionea '' 94 (3) (Tome I): 311-320 (Bioko Island)

Biogeographic realm

Afrotropical realm The Afrotropical realm is one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Sub-Saharan Africa, the southern Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly known as the Ethiopi ...

References

*Carcasson, R.H. 1960 "The Swallowtail Butterflies of East Africa (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae)". ''Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society'
pdf
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) * *Storace, L.,1955 Su alcune Papilionidae Africane, con descrizioni di nuove forme (Lepidoptera, Diurna). ''Memorie della Societa Entomologica Italiana'' 33:120-137.

External links

Images from

Naturhistorisches Museum Wien The Natural History Museum Vienna () is a large natural history museum located in Vienna, Austria. The NHM Vienna is one of the largest museums and non-university research institutions in Austria and an important center of excellence for all matt ...

Butterflies described in 1775 phorcas Taxa named by Pieter Cramer Butterflies of Africa {{papilionidae-stub