''Papilio echerioides'', the white-banded swallowtail, 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 ...

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 larges ...

. It is found in

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...

. 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 of ...

is 65–75 mm. It has two flight periods, first from January to March and second from September to November. The larvae feed on '' Clausena inaequalis'', '' Toddalia lanceolata'', ''

Toddalia asiatica ''Zanthoxylum asiaticum'' is a species of plant in the family Rutaceae. Under its synonym ''Toddalia asiatica'', it was the only species in the monotypic genus ''Toddalia'', now included in ''Zanthoxylum''. It is known by the English name orange c ...

'', ''

Zanthoxylum capense ''Zanthoxylum capense'', the small knobwood, is a species of plant in the family Rutaceae. It occurs in the eastern regions of southern Africa, from the vicinity of Knysna, Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situat ...

'', ''

Zanthoxylum delagoense ''Zanthoxylum delagoense'' is a species of plant in the family Rutaceae. It is endemic to Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a countr ...

'', '' Vepris lanceolata'' and

Citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

species.

Description

The male is very similar to ''

Papilio cynorta ''Papilio cynorta'', the mimetic swallowtail or common white banded papilio, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Africa, including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, southern Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Gu ...

'', but the median band, which is very pale yellow, tapers more strongly towards the apex. The pale spot in area (cell) 6 of the forewing is always present (usually absent in ''P. cynorta''). The female is a mimic of the butterflies ''

Amauris echeria ''Amauris echeria'', the chief, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in southern Africa. The wingspan is 55–65 mm for males and 63–70 for females. Adults are on wing year round (with peaks in summer and autumn). The la ...

'' and '' Amauris albimaculata''. The forewing is black with white spots, the hindwing black with a large pale ochreous discal area and white submarginal spots.

Taxonomy

''Papilio echerioides'' is a member of the ''echerioides''

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 ...

. This

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, ...

includes: *''Papilio echerioides'' Trimen, 1868 *''

Papilio fuelleborni ''Papilio fuelleborni'' is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus ''Papilio'' that is found in Tanzania and Malawi. The larvae feed on ''Clausena'' species. Description The male is deep black, with a pure white median band, very nar ...

'' Karsch, 1900 *'' Papilio jacksoni'' Sharpe, 1891 *''

Papilio sjoestedti ''Papilio sjoestedti'', the Kilimanjaro swallowtail, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation ...

'' Aurivillius, 1908

Subspecies

Listed alphabetically: *''P. e. ambangulu'' Clifton & Collins, 1997 (Tanzania) *''P. e. chirindanus'' van Son, 1956 (Mozambique (

Mount Gorongosa Mount Gorongosa is an inselberg in Sofala Province of central Mozambique. Its highest peak, Gogogo, reaches an elevation of 1,863 meters (6,112 feet). It was created by Karoo Volcanism. The upper zone of the mountain (above 700 meters) was mad ...

), eastern Zimbabwe) *''P. e. echerioides'' Trimen, 1868 Trimen, R. 1868. On some undescribed species of South African butterflies, including a new genus of Lycaenidae. ''Transactions of the Entomological Society of London'' 1868: 69-96. (South Africa, Eswatini) *''P. e. homeyeri'' Plötz, 1880 (Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, south-western Tanzania, northern Zambia) *''P. e. joiceyi'' Gabriel, 1945 – Zoroaster swallowtail – (Sudan, Uganda, western Kenya, western Tanzania, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo) *''P. e. kiellandi'' Clifton & Collins, 1997 (southern Kenya, northern Tanzania) *''P. e. leucospilus'' Rothschild, 1902 .(Ethiopia: highlands south-east of Rift Valley) *''P. e. nioka'' (Berger, 1974) (Democratic Republic of the Congo) *''P. e. nyiro'' Carcasson, 1962 (Kenya) *''P. e. oscari'' Rothschild, 1902 (Ethiopia: highlands west of the Rift Valley) *''P. e. pseudowertheri'' Kielland, 1990 (eastern and south-eastern Tanzania) *''P. e. shirensis'' (Hancock, 1987) (Malawi) *''P. e. wertheri'' Karsch, 1898 (eastern Kenya, eastern and northern Tanzania) *''P. e. zoroastres'' Druce, 1878 Druce, H. 1878a. Descriptions of two new species of butterflies from West Africa.''Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine'' 14: 226
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References

* Carcasson, R.H., 1960, "The Swallowtail Butterflies of East Africa (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae)". ''Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society'
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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) {{Taxonbar, from=Q7132884 Butterflies described in 1868 echerioides Butterflies of Africa Taxa named by Roland Trimen