''Papilio prexaspes'', the blue Helen, 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 larges ...

found in Southeast Asia. The race found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, ''Papilio prexaspes andamanicus'' (earlier placed under ''Papilio fuscus''), is also known as the Andaman Helen.

Description

The taxonomic description below is of race ''prexaspes'' and is taken from

Charles Thomas Bingham Charles Thomas Bingham (16 April 1848, India – 18 October 1908 West Kensington, London) was an Irish military officer and entomologist. Bingham was born in India of an old Irish family, and he was educated in Ireland.Kirby, W.F , 1909 Obituar ...

's 1907 book (in the public domain): NovaraExpZoologischeTheilLepidopteraAtlasTaf15

Closely resembles ''
Papilio chaon ''Papilio nephelus'' is a species of swallowtail butterfly belonging to the family Papilionidae. Subspecies include ''P. n. chaon'', the yellow Helen, and ''P. n. sunatus'', the black and white Helen. Description ''Papilio nephelus'' has a w ...
'', from which it differs as follows: smaller; fore wing more produced, its termen concave. Male has the ground colour of the upperside of the wings a more brownish sooty-black. Hind wing with the upper discal white patch extended into interspace 4, most usually very slightly so, often represented only by a very small spot of white scaling, a white spot also above the tornal angle. Underside, fore wing: the internervular brownish-yellow streaks limited to the apical area of the wing. Hind wing: the upper discal patch extended to the dorsum in a series of three pure white not ochraceous-tinted spots, a more or less incomplete postdiscal series of lunules formed of diffuse blue scales, and the subterminal series of ochraceous lunules of a darker colour and smaller than in ''chaon''; the rest as in ''chaon''. The upperside of the wing in females has the ground-colour paler than in ''chaon''. Fore wing with an ill-defined broad pale discal band perceptibly widened and becoming whitish opposite apex of cell. Hind wing: the extension into interspace 4 of the upper discal white patch more pronounced than in the male, the small white spot above the tornal angle followed in some specimens by a blue ill-defined lunule and an ochraceous spot. Underside, fore wing: the transverse discal hand white and much more prominent than on the upperside. Hind wing: the postdiscal series of blue lunules generally complete and well-marked: the rest as in the male.

Taxonomy

''Papilio prexaspes'' is a member of the ''fuscus''

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 this clade are: * '' Papilio albinus'' Wallace, 1865 * '' Papilio diophantus'' Grose-Smith, 1883 * ''

Papilio fuscus ''Papilio fuscus'', the Canopus swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae, that is found on Timor, northern Australia, and New Guinea. The wingspan is about 80 mm. The larvae feed on Rutaceae species. Subspecies *''P. f. fu ...

'' Goeze, 1779 * ''

Papilio hipponous ''Papilio hipponous'' is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in the Philippines. The larvae feed on ''Citrus'' species. Subspecies *''Papilio hipponous bazilanus'' Fruhstorfer, 1899 (Philippines (Basilan, Mindanao)) *''Papilio h ...

'' C. & R. Felder, 1862 * '' Papilio jordani'' Fruhstorfer, 1906 * ''

Papilio pitmani ''Papilio pitmani'' is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus '' Papilio'' that is found in Burma, Thailand and Vietnam. Subspecies *''Papilio pitmani pitmani'' *''Papilio duboisi'' Vitalis de Salvaza, 1921 (central Vietnam) Taxonom ...

'' Elwes & de Nicéville,

887 __NOTOC__ Year 887 ( DCCCLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * November 17 – East Frankish magnates revolt against the inept emperor ...

/small> * ''Papilio prexaspes'' C. & R. Felder, 1865 * ''

Papilio sakontala ''Papilio sakontala'' is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus '' Papilio'' that is found in India. Taxonomy The taxonomic rank of ''Papilio sakontala'' is uncertain. It is a member of the ''fuscus'' species-group. The members of t ...

'' Hewitson, 1864

References

External links

* http://yutaka.it-n.jp/pap/10410010.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20091028145941/http://geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/2382/papilionidae/bluhelen.htm {{Taxonbar, from=Q7132956

prexaspes Prexaspes ( el, Πρηξάσπης, translit=Prēxáspēs) was a prominent Persian during the reign of Cambyses II (530–522 BC), the second King of Kings of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. According to Herodotus, when Cambyses ordered his trusted ...

Butterflies of Indochina Butterflies of Asia Butterflies of Malaysia Butterflies of Singapore Lepidoptera of Thailand Insects of Myanmar Insects of Vietnam Butterflies described in 1779

Description

Taxonomy

See also

References

Other reading

External links