''Byasa dasarada'', the great windmill, is a

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

found in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

that belongs to the windmills

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

, ''

Byasa Red-bodied swallowtails or ruby swallowtail ( due to the color ) are butterflies in the swallowtail family, that belong to the genera ''Atrophaneura'', ''Byasa'', ''Losaria'', or ''Pachliopta''. They are generally found in Asia ( Indomalayan ...

'', comprising tailed black swallowtail butterflies with white spots and red submarginal crescents.

Range and status

Northern India,

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

, south-eastern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

(including Hainan island (

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

province)). The great windmill is not rare or threatened.

Subspecies

Great Windmill Atrophaneura dasarada at Samsing, Duars, WB W IMG 6494

There are five

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

. The following occur in the Indian neighbourhood: * ''B. d. dasarada''

Moore Moore may refer to: People * Moore (surname) ** List of people with surname Moore * Moore Crosthwaite (1907–1989), a British diplomat and ambassador * Moore Disney (1765–1846), a senior officer in the British Army * Moore Powell (died c. 1573 ...

. Sikkim to Assam. Not rare. * ''B. d. ravana''

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

to Kumaon. Not rare. * ''B. d. barata''

Rothschild Rothschild () is a name derived from the German ''zum rothen Schild'' (with the old spelling "th"), meaning "with the red sign", in reference to the houses where these family members lived or had lived. At the time, houses were designated by signs ...

. Rare.

Description

Great Windmill Atrophaneura dasarada at Samsing, Duars, WB W IMG 6489

* Wingspan: 100 to 140 mm. * The butterflies resemble the common windmill but are usually larger with broader tails. * The upper hindwing marginal crescent is white or cream-coloured. * Sexes similar. The female often has a complete discal band of white spots on the hindwing. The butterfly is considered to be beautiful in appearance.

Habits

The great windmill is a woodland butterfly. It can often be spotted slowly and gracefully flying across clearings. It flies between in the spring and summer. Its habits resemble those of the common windmill.

Life cycle

Egg

Not described.

Larva

The ground colour of the larva varies in shades of grey and has a pattern of black lines. It has an orange

osmeterium The osmeterium is a defensive organ found in all papilionid larvae, in all stages. The organ is situated in the prothoracic segment and can be everted when the larva feels threatened. The everted organ resembles a fleshy forked tongue (not unlik ...

. The larva has a large number of tubercles arranged in two lateral and two sub-dorsal rows. The third and fourth segments have an additional pair of tubercles. The tubercles all have red tips, except those on the seventh and eighth segments which are almost entirely dirty white and the eleventh segment which has the same colour on just the tips of the tubercles.

Pupa

Pupa is yellow green with blue bands. It has an orange protuberance on its back. It is attached to its support by a black body and anal pad. The pupa emits a squeak when touched.

Food plant

* ''Aristolochia griffithi''

Gallery

Image:Great Windmill Atrophaneura dasarada at Samsing, Duars, WB W IMG 6491.jpg, ''B. d. dasarada'' at Samsing in Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India

References

* * * *

External links

Global Butterfly Information System
Type (biology), Lectotype text, images Byasa Butterflies of Asia Butterflies described in 1857 {{Papilionidae-stub