''Papilio constantinus'', the Constantine's swallowtail, is a

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

of the family

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 larg ...

. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan o ...

is 70–90 mm in males and 80–95 mm in females. The ground colour is black with pale yellow or white markings including a large yellow spot in the cell. Its flight period is during the warmer months peaking from November to February. The larvae feed on ''Vepris Reflexi'', '' Vepris lanceolata'', '' Vepris undulata'', ''

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.

'' species, ''

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

'' species, '' Teclea trifoliatum'', '' Teclea nobilis'', and '' Teclea gerrardii''.

Taxonomy

''Papilio constantinus'' 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 are: *''

Papilio dardanus ''Papilio dardanus'', the African swallowtail, mocker swallowtail or flying handkerchief, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae (the swallowtails). The species is broadly distributed throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. The British e ...

'' Brown, 1776 *''Papilio constantinus'' Ward, 1871 *'' Papilio delalandei'' Godart, 824/small> *''

Papilio phorcas ''Papilio phorcas'', the apple-green swallowtail or green-banded swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Africa. The larvae feed on ''Teclea nobilis'', ''Teclea simplicifolia'', '' Macrostylis villosa'', ''Vepris'' ...

'' Cramer, 775/small> *''

Papilio rex ''Papilio rex'', the regal swallowtail or king papilio, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Africa. It is a semi-montane and montane forest (1, 300 m. to 2 600 m.) species. The larvae feed on '' Teclea tricocarpa'', '' Tecle ...

'' Oberthür, 1886

Subspecies

Listed alphabetically: *''Papilio constantinus constantinus'' Ward, 1871 (south-eastern Ethiopia, southern Somalia, coast of Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, southern and north-eastern Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, eastern Botswana, South Africa, Eswatini) *''Papilio constantinus lecerfi'' Koçak, 1996 (Kenya: central highlands and the Mau Escarpment) *''Papilio constantinus mweruanus'' Joicey & Talbot, 1927 Joicey. J. J. & Talbot, G., 1927 New forms of Lepidoptera Rhopalocera ''Encycl. Ent.'' (B3) 2 (1) : 1-14 (Democratic Republic of the Congo, western Tanzania, Zambia)

Biogeographic realm

Afrotropical realm.

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) *

External links

* *

Images from

Naturhistorisches Museum Wien The Natural History Museum Vienna (german: Naturhistorisches Museum Wien) is a large natural history museum located in Vienna, Austria. It is one of the most important natural history museums worldwide. The NHM Vienna is one of the largest museum ...

Butterflies described in 1871

constantinus Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterranea ...

Butterflies of Africa Taxa named by Christopher Ward (entomologist) {{Papilionidae-stub