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''Pachliopta aristolochiae'', the common rose, 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 large ...
belonging to the genus ''Pachliopta'', the roses, or red-bodied swallowtails. It is a common butterfly which is extensively distributed across
south South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
and
southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
.


Range

It is widely distributed in Asia including Afghanistan, Pakistan, India (including the
Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between th ...
), Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Japan (south-western
Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...
only), Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia,
Nicobar Islands The Nicobar Islands are an archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean. They are located in Southeast Asia, northwest of Aceh on Sumatra, and separated from Thailand to the east by the Andaman Sea. Located southeast of the Indian s ...
, peninsular and eastern Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines (
Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in ...
and
Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...
), Indonesia, Bangladesh and Taiwan. In China, it is distributed in southern and eastern China (including
Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...
,
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) and Hong Kong. In Indonesia, it is distributed in
Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
,
Nias Nias ( id, Pulau Nias, Nias language: ''Tanö Niha'') (sometimes called Little Sumatra in English) is an island located off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Nias is also the name of the archipelago () of which the island is the centre, ...
,
Enggano Enggano Island is about 100 km (60 mi) southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia. It is one of the 92 officially listed outlying islands of Indonesia, though it can also be considered a barrier island of Sumatra. Enggano is about long from e ...
, Bangka,
Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
,
Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...
, Kangean,
Lombok Lombok is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east. It is rou ...
,
Sumbawa Sumbawa is an Indonesian island, located in the middle of the Lesser Sunda Islands chain, with Lombok to the west, Flores to the east, and Sumba further to the southeast. Along with Lombok, it forms the province of West Nusa Tenggara, but there ...
,
Sumba Sumba ( id, Pulau Sumba) is an island in eastern Indonesia. It is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands and is in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. Sumba has an area of , and the population was 779,049 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as a ...
,
Flores Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. Including the Komodo Islands off its west coast (but excluding the Solor Archipelago to the east of Flores), the land area is 15,530.58 km2, and th ...
, Tanahjampea, and
Kalimantan Kalimantan () is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area. The non-Indonesian parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo. In 2019, ...
.


Status

It is very common almost all over the plains of India, and is not threatened as a species. During and after the monsoon it is extremely abundant.


Description

The upperside of male is velvety black. Forewing with well-marked pale adnervular streaks on the discal area that do not reach the terminal margin, the latter broadly velvety black; the streaks beyond end of cell extended inwards into its apex. Hindwing with elongate white discal markings in interspaces 2–5 beyond the cell. In dry-weather specimens these markings are very short and do not nearly reach the bases of the interspaces; beyond these a curved series of subterminal lunular markings in interspaces one to seven dull crimson irrorated with black scales, the spot in interspace one large, irregular, diffuse, margined interiorly with white. On the underside of the males, the ground colour and markings is similar, but the red subterminal spots on the hindwing much brighter; it is not irrorated with black scales, better defined, the anterior four subquadrate, the next two crescent shaped, sometimes quadrate also, the spot in interspace one triangular and pointed. Antennae, thorax and abdomen above up to the pre-anal segment black; the head, sides of prothorax above, and of the whole of the thorax and abdomen beneath vermilion red; anal segment vermilion red. Females are similar to the males; they differ from the male only in the comparatively broader wings and this is most conspicuous in the forewing. File:Atrophaneura aristolochiae goniopeltis MHNT dos.jpg, File:Atrophaneura aristolochiae goniopeltis MHNT ventre.jpg, File:Pandiyana aristolochiae polytes helenus.png, File:Common Rose Male.jpg, Common Rose Male File:Common Rose Male .jpg, Common Rose Male File:Common Rose Female.jpg, Common Rose Female File:Common Rose Female Butterfly.jpg, Common Rose Female


Variety ''camorta''

Variety ''camorta'', Moore (
Nicobar Islands The Nicobar Islands are an archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean. They are located in Southeast Asia, northwest of Aceh on Sumatra, and separated from Thailand to the east by the Andaman Sea. Located southeast of the Indian s ...
), differs from the typical form as follows: * "The white spots of the hindwing small, only that between the lower median veins (veins 2 and 3) is clearly marked on the upperside * the two others standing before and behind the upper median vein (vein 4) are sometimes entirely absent from the upperside, or when present are much suffused with black; below there is usually a spot within the apex of the cell." (Rothschild quoted in Bingham)


Varieties

There are up to 20 subspecies. The nominate sub-species occurs throughout peninsular India. The subspecies include: * ''P. a. aristolochiae'' Fabricius. India. Very common. * ''P. a. sawi''
Evans Evans may refer to: People *Evans (surname) *List of people with surname Evans Places United States *Evans Island, an island of Alaska *Evans, Colorado *Evans, Georgia *Evans County, Georgia *Evans, New York *Evans Mills, New York *Evans City, ...
.
Car Nicobar Car Nicobar ( in Car language) is the northernmost of the Nicobar Islands. It is also one of three local administrative divisions of the Indian district of Nicobar, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Annual rai ...
. Not rare. * ''P. a. camorta''
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 ...
. Central Nicobars. Not rare. * ''P. a. goniopeltis''
Walter Rothschild Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild, (8 February 1868 – 27 August 1937) was a British banker, politician, zoologist and soldier, who was a member of the Rothschild family. As a Zionist leader, he was present ...
.
Andaman islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between th ...
. Not rare. Also found in Myanmar. * ''P. a. kondulana'' Evans. South Nicobars. Not rare. The subspecies ''P. a. ceylonicus''
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 ...
is found in Sri Lanka and is very common.


Habitat

An excellent generalist which has adapted to a range of habitats, the butterfly has been found in congregations at lower elevations. The common rose is found up to in the Western Ghats and south Indian hills, up to at the eastern end of the Himalayas but only up to in the north-west Himalayas. The butterfly is a common visitor to Indian gardens and can even be found in crowded urban areas.


Habits

It is the commonest of the large-tailed butterflies of India. The red body, slow peculiar flight, bright colouration and pattern of the wings are meant to indicate to predators that this butterfly is inedible, being well protected by the poisons it has sequestered from its larval food plant. It also emits a nasty smelling substance when handled to further enhance its unappealing qualities. Hence it is rarely attacked by predators, a strategy so successful, that edible butterflies have evolved to
mimic MIMIC, known in capitalized form only, is a former simulation computer language developed 1964 by H. E. Petersen, F. J. Sansom and L. M. Warshawsky of Systems Engineering Group within the Air Force Materiel Command at the Wright-Patterson AFB in ...
it, the classic example being that of the female morph of the common Mormon that is ''Papilio polytes'', female form ''stichius''. The common rose frequently visits flowers such as ''Lantana'', ''Cosmos'', ''Zinnia'', ''Jatropha'' and ''Clerodendron''. The butterfly occasionally also visits wet patches. In parts of Sri Lanka, the males are known to congregate and form a beautiful sight while
mud-puddling Mud-puddling, or simply puddling, is a behaviour most conspicuous in butterflies, but occurs in other animals as well, mainly insects; they seek out nutrients in certain moist substances such as rotting plant matter, mud and carrion and they suck ...
. The common rose is active much earlier in the morning than most butterflies and remains so throughout the day until dusk. It flies just as readily in the shade as in the sun, and frequently visits flowers. In drier regions, around noon, the butterfly rests in thickets to avoid the mid-day heat. Here, it will rest and venture forth only in the late afternoon once again. In the evenings, it retires into wooded areas or thickets in search of dead twigs or small branches on which to roost. It prefers sites that are 10 to 15 feet above ground, below the canopy in trees with sufficient cover from the elements, where it frequently roosts in the company of others of its type, and, sometimes, in the company of the crimson rose. It flies high, slowly and often descends to nectar on flowers below. On such occasions it often dives down with its wings held back, and as it approaches the flower, the wings open up to provide deceleration. The butterfly primarily depends on motive thrust on the powerful flapping of its forewings while the hindwings act as a balancing and steering mechanism. This flying technique gives a rather unusual look to its flight and an observer is left with the impression that it is dragging itself through the air with only the assistance of its forewings. The common rose is often the preferred species to show the amateur naturalist the utility of the tails in steering. This can be most easily observed when the common rose hovers over flowers to sip nectar. Then, its forewings beat readily to give it buoyancy while the tails move delicately to steer and adjust its position. It has been considered in the past that these tails are primarily for deception as in the case of the ''
Polyommatinae Polyommatinae, the blues, are a diverse subfamily of gossamer-winged butterflies (family Lycaenidae). This subfamily was long used to assign taxa of unclear relationships, and its contents and phylogeny are still in need of revision. The followi ...
'' where the thread-like tails resemble antennae and confuse the attacker as to the location of the head. On occasions, roses have been observed with damaged tails and it is possible that the presence of swallowtails occasionally does favour the butterfly in confusing attackers.


Life cycle

File:Common Rose Egg.jpg, Egg File:Common Rose Cat in Hyderabad, AP W IMG 0050.jpg, Caterpillar File:Atrophaneura aristolochiae caterpillar in bangalore.JPG, Pre-pupal caterpillar File:Common Rose Pre-Pupal Catterpillar.jpg, Pre-Pupal Caterpilar File:Pachliopta aristolochiae-Kadavoor-2016-07-13-001.jpg, Pupa File:ST001 Pachliopta aristolochiae.jpg, Freshly emerged adult File:Common Rose.jpg, Common rose adult


Eggs

The female has been observed inspecting ''Aristolochia'' plants and selecting healthy plants with verdant growth to ensure adequacy of food for its voracious caterpillars. It lays round and reddish
eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...
with fine black markings. The eggs are laid singly on top, the underside of leaves or even on shoots.


Caterpillar

The
caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...
is a velvety-maroon colour and has a white band on a segment on its middle reminiscent of a belt or collar. It has numerous fleshy red-tipped white protuberances on the body. It is bulky and slow in its movements.


Pupa

The
pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...
is brownish with various shades of brown and pink markings. It is attached to its support by the tail and held at an angle by a body band. The support is usually a stick. The distinguishing feature of the common rose pupa is the presence of large semi-circular projections on the back of the abdomen, thorax and head.


Food plants

The larvae feed on creepers and climbers of the genus ''
Aristolochia ''Aristolochia'' () is a large plant genus with over 500 species that is the type genus of the family Aristolochiaceae. Its members are commonly known as birthwort, pipevine or Dutchman's pipe and are widespread and occur in the most diverse clima ...
'', family
Aristolochiaceae The Aristolochiaceae () are a family, the birthwort family, of flowering plants with seven genera and about 400 known species belonging to the order Piperales. The type genus is ''Aristolochia'' L. Description They are mostly perennial, herb ...
, and they sequester toxins such as
aristolochic acid Aristolochic acids () are a family of carcinogenic, mutagenic, and nephrotoxic phytochemicals commonly found in the flowering plant family Aristolochiaceae (birthworts). Aristolochic acid (AA) I is the most abundant one. The family Aristolochiacea ...
in their bodies. This makes the adults toxic to vertebrate predators such as birds and reptiles.Tian-Shung Wu, Yann-Lii Leu and Yu-Yi Chan (2000). Aristolochic Acids as a Defensive Substance for the Aristolochiaceous Plant-Feeding Swallowtail Butterfly, ''Pachliopta aristolochiae interpositus.'' ''Journal of the Chinese Chemical Society'' 47:221-22

/ref> However the '' Braconidae, braconid'' wasps which parasitise the caterpillars have apparently co-evolved with the butterfly and are not affected by the toxins. Larval food plants include: * '' Aristolochia bracteolata'' * ''
Aristolochia indica ''Aristolochia indica'' (native language: Garudakkodi / Eswaramooli) is a creeper plant found in Southern India and also Sri Lanka. It Is known as 'sapsada' in Sri Lanka and is critical to the survival of the southern birdwing and common birdw ...
'' * '' Aristolochia tagala'' * '' Aristolochia griffithi'' * ''
Aristolochia leuconeura ''Aristolochia'' () is a large plant genus with over 500 species that is the type genus of the family (biology), family Aristolochiaceae. Its members are commonly known as birthwort, pipevine or Dutchman's pipe and are widespread and occur in the ...
'' * ''
Thottea siliquosa ''Thottea siliquosa'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Aristolochiaceae. It is used as an Ayurvedic medicine in India and Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, ...
''


See also

*
Papilionidae 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 ...
*
List of butterflies of India The following is a list of the butterflies of India. India has extremely diverse terrain, climate and vegetation, which comprises extremes of heat cold, desert and jungle, of low-lying plains and the highest mountains, of dryness and dampness, i ...
*
List of butterflies of India (Papilionidae) This is a list of the butterflies of family Papilionidae (superfamily Papilionoidea), or the swallowtails, which are found in India. This family of large and beautiful butterflies is well represented with 89 species found within Indian borde ...
Chattopadhyay, Jagannath. (2007) "Swallowtail Butterflies, Biology and Ecology of a few Indian Species." Desh Prakashan, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. .


Cited references


References

*Chattopadhyay, Jagannath. (2007) "Swallowtail Butterflies, Biology and Ecology of a few Indian Species." Desh Prakashan, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. . * * * * * * Munshi, G.H.; & Moiz, S.A. (1967). Host plant specificity of the black swallowtail butterfly. ''Polydorus aristolochiae'' (Papilionidae). ''Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society'' 21: 127-12
pdf
*Munshi, G.H.; & Moiz, S.A. (1968). The pupa of ''Polydorus aristolochiae'' (Papilionidae). ''Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society'' 22:115-11
pdf
*Munshi, G.H.; & Moiz, S.A. (1968). Some observations on and description of ''Polydorus aristolochiae'' (Papilionidae). ''Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society'' 22(3):183-185, 2 tbl
pdf
*Munshi, G.H.; & Moiz, S.A. (1969). Detailed description of larva of ''Polydorus aristolochiae.'' ''Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society'' 23: 107-10
pdf
*Munshi, G.H.; & Moiz, S.A. (1970). Studies on the biology and seasonal history of ''Polydorus aristolochiae'' (Papilionidae). ''Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society'' 24:19-22, 4 tbl
pdf
* * Shihan, T.R. (2016). ''A Photographic Guide to the Butterflies of Bangladesh''. Butterfly Reintroduction Farm, Chuadanga, Bangladesh, 165pp.


External links


Sri Lanka Wild Life Information Database
* https://web.archive.org/web/20050515164055/http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/chinfahshin/history/rose.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20160303174856/http://www.srilankaninsects.net/Butterflies/Papilionidae/CommonRose/CommonRose.htm {{Taxonbar, from=Q1768109 aristolochiae Fauna of Pakistan Butterflies of Asia Butterflies of Singapore Butterflies of Indochina Butterflies described in 1775