''Papilio nireus'', the green-banded swallowtail, narrow-banded blue swallowtail, or African blue-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 ...

Description

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 in males and in females. Forewing above at most with two blue submarginal spots in cellules 7 and 8; rarely in the female with several yellow ones; the blue (male) or greenish (female) median band is 2-7 mm broad at the hindmargin of the forewing and 4—12 mm in the middle of the hindwing, and is only a little widened posteriorly; the spot in cellule 2 of the hindwing does not completely cover the base of the cellule and the narrow spot in cellule lc does not reach the cell; forewing beneath almost always entirely without submarginal spots. ominateMedian band of the forewing above well developed, the spots of cellules 2—4 obliquely cut off distally; the discal spot in cellule 2 of the hindwing is very long and produced farther towards the anal angle than the spot in cellule 1 c. Sierra Leone to Angola and Uganda. — ''lyaeus'' Dbl. The median band narrower, but complete; the spot in cellule 2 of the hindwing is shorter and does not reach so far towards the anal angle as the one in 1 c. Larva above green, beneath whitish, with a whitish oblique longitudinal streak at each side on segments 7 and 8 and a girdle of ring-shaped spots on the third segment. Cape Colony to Angola and British East Africa. male ab. ''aelyus'' Suff. only differs from ''lyaeus'' in the discal spot in cellule 1 a of the forewing being entirely wanting and the one in cellule 1 b divided into two; German East Africa.— ''pseudonireus'' Fldr. (= ''donaldsoni'' Em. Sharpe). The median band is altogether absent on the forewing or is only represented by a few very small spots; on the hindwing it is formed as in ''lyaeus''. Somali¬ land and Abyssinia.

Biology

It flies year-round, with peaks from November to February. The larvae feed on ''

Calodendrum capense ''Calodendrum capense'', the Cape chestnut, is an African tree which was first studied at The Cape in South Africa and cultivated widely for its prolific flower display. The tree obtained the common name of "Cape chestnut" because explorer Willi ...

'', ''

Vepris ''Vepris'' is a genus of plant in family Rutaceae. It comprises around 90 species, mainly from tropical Africa, Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands and at a lesser extent Arabia and India. Species , Plants of the World Online (PoWO) accepted th ...

'' species, 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.

Subspecies

Listed alphabetically: *''P. n. lyaeus'' Doubleday, 1845 – narrowly green-banded swallowtail (Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland) *''P. n. nireus'' Linnaeus, 1758 – (Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, southern Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Angola, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, western Tanzania, Zambia) *''P. n. pseudonireus'' C. & R. Felder, 1865 Felder, C. and Felder , R. 865-1867''Reise der Osterreichischen Fregatte Novara'
Full text
– (northern Kenya, northern Uganda, southern Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea) Narrow-banded green swallowtail (Papilio nireus nireus).jpg, ''P. n. nireus'' dorsal side
Bobiri Forest,

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

Narrow-banded green swallowtail (Papilio nireus nireus) underside.jpg, ''P. n. nireus'' ventral side
Bobiri Forest,

Narrow blue-banded swallowtail (Papilio nireus lyaeus) in flight.jpg, ''P. n. lyaeus'' in flight,

Semliki Wildlife Reserve The Semliki Wildlife Reserve is a conservation protected area in the Western Region of Uganda with headquarters at Karugutu in Ntoroko District. Geography Semliki Wildlife Reserve is located in Kabarole and Ntoroko districts, in the Toro sub ...

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

Narrow-banded green swallowtail (Papilio nireus pseudonireus).jpg, ''P. n. pseudonireus'',

Harenna Forest The Harenna Forest is a montane tropical evergreen forest in Ethiopia's Bale Mountains. The forest covers the southern slope of the mountains, extending from 1450 to 3200 meters elevation. The Bale Mountains are in Ethiopia's Oromia Region, and fo ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

Narrow-banded green swallowtail (Papilio nireus pseudonireus) underside.jpg, ''P. n. pseudonireus'',

Taxonomy

''Papilio nireus'' belongs to a

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, ...

called the ''nireus''

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 ...

with 15 members. The pattern is black with green bands and spots and the butterflies, although called swallowtails, lack tails with the exception of ''Papilio charopus'' and ''Papilio hornimani''. The clade members are: *''

Papilio aristophontes ''Papilio aristophontes'' is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is endemic to Comoros. It is listed as a red list species due to its rarity and the threats to its survival. The eggs are laid on the plant ''Toddalia asiatica'' ...

'' Oberthür, 1897 *''Papilio nireus'' Linnaeus, 1758 *''

Papilio charopus ''Papilio charopus'', the tailed green-banded swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus ''Papilio'' that is found in Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. Subspecies *' ...

'' Westwood, 1843 *''

Papilio chitondensis ''Papilio chitondensis'' is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus ''Papilio'' that is found in Angola. Taxonomy ''Papilio chitondensis'' belongs to a clade called the ''nireus'' species group with 15 members. The pattern is black ...

'' de Sousa & Fernandes, 1966 *''

Papilio chrapkowskii ''Papilio chrapkowskii'', the broad green-banded swallowtail or Chrapkowski's green-banded swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus ''Papilio'' that is found in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. The larvae feed on ''Vepris'' ...

'' Suffert, 1904 *''

Papilio chrapkowskoides ''Papilio chrapkowskoides'', the broadly green-banded swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus ''Papilio'' that is found in the Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberi ...

'' Storace, 1952 *''

Papilio desmondi ''Papilio desmondi'', the Desmond's green-banded swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Africa. The larvae feed on '' Vepris eugeniifolia'', other ''Vepris'' species, ''Clausena'', ''Zanthoxylum'', ''Calodendrum' ...

'' van Someren, 1939 *''

Papilio hornimani ''Papilio hornimani'', the Hornimans green-banded swallowtail or Horniman's swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus ''Papilio'' that is found in the highland forests of Kenya and Tanzania. The larvae feed on ''Vepris' ...

'' Distant, 1879 *''

Papilio interjectana ''Papilio interjectana'', the Van Someren's green-banded swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus ''Papilio'' that is found in Uganda and Kenya.Papilio manlius ''Papilio manlius'' is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is endemic to Mauritius. Description The discal band of the forewing in both sexes only composed of three spots (in cellules 3, 4 and in the cell); that of the hindwin ...

'' Fabricius, 1798 *''

Papilio microps ''Papilio microps'' is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus ''Papilio'' that is found in Ethiopia and Somalia. Taxonomy ''Papilio microps'' belongs to an Afrotropical clade called the ''nireus'' species group with 15 members. Th ...

'' Storace, 1951 *''

Papilio sosia ''Papilio sosia'', the medium green-banded swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in the Afrotropical realm. The species was first described by Walter Rothschild in 1903. Description Forewing above in cellules 1 b ...

'' Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 *''

Papilio thuraui ''Papilio thuraui'' is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus ''Papilio'' that is found in Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and the Republic of the Congo. Description Blue median band absent and a complete series of blue submarginal spots i ...

'' Karsch, 1900 *''

Papilio ufipa ''Papilio ufipa'' is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus ''Papilio'' that is found in Tanzania. The habitat consists of riparian and montane forests at altitudes from 1000 to 2400 meters. Taxonomy ''Papilio ufipa'' belongs to a ...

'' Carcasson, 1961 *''

Papilio wilsoni ''Papilio wilsoni'' is a butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found in Ethiopia. Taxonomy ''Papilio wilsoni'' belongs to a clade called the ''nireus'' species-group with 15 members. The pattern is black with green bands and spots and ...

'' Rothschild, 1926

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) * Hancock, David Lawrence. (1984) The ''Princeps nireus'' group of swallowtails (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae): systematics, phylogeny and biogeography. ''Arnoldia Zimbabwe'' 9(12):181-215.

External links

Linnean collections
Photographs of the

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

nireus In Greek mythology, Nireus (Ancient Greek: Νιρεύς) was a king of the island Syme (according to Diodorus Siculus, also of a part of Cnidia) and one of the Achaean leaders in the Trojan War. Biography Nireus was the son of King Charopus ...

Butterflies described in 1758 Butterflies of Africa Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Papilionidae-stub