''Papilio sosia'', the medium green-banded swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in the

Afrotropical realm The Afrotropical realm is one of Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, southern Iran and extreme southwestern Pakistan, and the island ...

. The species was first described by Walter Rothschild in 1903.

Description

Forewing above in cellules 1 b—8 with distinct, small, usually double submarginal dots, but beneath without large submarginal spots; the median band formed almost as in '' nireus'', though the spot in cellule 2 covers the base of the cellule, but is more produced anally than the spot in 1 c, which does not reach the cell. — Sierra Leone to the Congo region and Uganda. The median band is straight and regular and never less than 1 cm in cell lb of the forewing, nearly always much wider.

Biology

The larva feeds on '' Zanthoxylum'' and '' Citrus''.

Subspecies

Subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

include: *''P. s. sosia'' (Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, southern Nigeria, western Cameroon) *''P. s. pulchra'' Berger, 1950 (Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Central African Republic, northern Angola, Congo Republic) *''P. s. debilis'' Storace, 1951 Storace, L. (1951-1952). Recherches sur le groupe africain de ''Papilio nireus'' L. ''Lambillionea'' 51:44-52; 54-57; 73-76. (Uganda, northwestern Tanzania)

Taxonomy

''Papilio sosia'' 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 with 15 members. The pattern is black with green or blue bands and spots and the butterflies, although called swallowtails, they 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 ''Papilio nireus'', the green-banded swallowtail, narrow-banded blue swallowtail, or African blue-banded swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa. Description The wingspan is in males and in fe ...

'' 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'' 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'' Storace, 1952 *'' Papilio desmondi'' van Someren, 1939 *'' Papilio hornimani'' Distant, 1879 *'' Papilio interjectana'' Vane-Wright, 1995 *'' Papilio manlius'' Fabricius, 1798 *'' Papilio microps'' Storace, 1951 *''Papilio sosia'' Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 *'' Papilio thuraui'' Karsch, 1900 *'' Papilio ufipa'' Carcasson, 1961 *'' Papilio wilsoni'' Rothschild, 1926

References

Sources

*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) * *Larsen, T.B. (2005). ''Butterflies of West Africa'' Apollo Books *Storace, L. (1951-1952). ''Recherches sur le groupe africain de Papilio nireus L. Lambillionea'' 51:44-52; 54-57; 73-76.

External links

Images from Naturhistorisches Museum Wien sosia Butterflies described in 1903 Butterflies of Africa Taxa named by Karl Jordan {{Papilionidae-stub