''Papilio ptolychus'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

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 ...

from the

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 ...

Papilio ''Papilio'' is a genus in the swallowtail butterfly family, Papilionidae, as well as the only representative of the tribe Papilionini. The word ''papilio'' is Latin for butterfly. It includes the common yellow swallowtail (''Papilio machaon''), ...

'' that is found on

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...

and

Florida Island The Nggela Islands, also known as the Florida Islands, are a small island group in the Central Province of Solomon Islands, a sovereign state (since 1978) in the southwest Pacific Ocean. The chain is composed of four larger islands and about ...

.Papilio at Funet
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Description

From Rothschild, 1895, Novit. Zool. 2 (3): 301 Male. Differs from P. laarchus (Godm. & Salv.) especially in the forewings having four white spots posteriorly close to the outer margin, besides the subapical white band, and in the band of the hindwings being as narrow as in P. bridgei Matthew. Some specimens have on the upperside of the hindwings a small, ochraceous, submarginal spot between the lower median nervules ; below, the series of submarginal spots is always complete, but the spots are often very feebly marked. Female. Similar to the male; the marginal spots to the forewings and the submarginal markings to the under surface of the hindwings are rather larger; above, the hindwings have three submarginal spots in my single example. Hab. Solomon Islands: Guadalcanar Island From Godman and Salvin Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (6) 1 (2): 99. Appended to original description (in Latin) It is allied to P. erskinei recently described by Mr. Mathew from a specimen captured by himself on the island of Ugi. It differs from this specimen in having the discal band of the primaries completely severed, the costal portion being concentrated in a patch beyond the cell; the rest of this band consists of four spots placed close to the outer margin instead of at some distance from it. In other respects the two species are very much alike.

Taxonomy

''Papilio ptolychus'' is a member of the ''aegeus'' species-group. The

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

members are *''

Papilio aegeus ''Papilio aegeus'', the orchard swallowtail butterfly or large citrus butterfly is a species of butterfly from the family Papilionidae, that is found in eastern Australia and Papua New Guinea. The larvae of this species are sometimes considered ...

'' Donovan, 1805 *'' Papilio bridgei'' Mathew, 1886 ** ? '' Papilio erskinei'' Mathew, 1886 *'' Papilio gambrisius'' Cramer,

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Papilio inopinatus ''Papilio inopinatus'' is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus ''Papilio'' that is found in Romang, Babar, Damar and Tanimbar. Description The original description in Butler, 1883; '' Proc. zool. Soc. Lond''. 1883 : 370, reads All ...

'' Butler, 1883 *''Papilio ptolychus'' Godman & Salvin, 1888 *''

Papilio tydeus ''Papilio tydeus'' is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus ''Papilio'' that is found in the Moluccas (Batchian and Gilolo). Status Common and not threatened. Subspecies *''Papilio tydeus tydeus'' (Bachan, Ternate, Halmahera, Morota ...

'' C. & R. Felder, 1860 *''

Papilio weymeri ''Papilio weymeri'' is a species of swallowtail butterfly in the Papilioninae subfamily that is Endemism, endemic to Papua New Guinea where it is found on Los Negros Island, Los Negros and Manus Islands. Description The species' males are long ...

'' Niepelt, 1914 *''

Papilio woodfordi ''Papilio woodfordi'', the Woodford's swallowtail, is a swallowtail butterfly of the Papilioninae subfamily. It is found on various islands in the Pacific Ocean (see Subspecies section). The wingspan is . The larvae feed on ''Citrus'' species. ...

'' Godman & Salvin, 1888

References

ptolychus Butterflies described in 1888 Butterflies of Oceania Taxa named by Frederick DuCane Godman Taxa named by Osbert Salvin {{Papilionidae-stub