''Papilio ulysses'', the Ulysses butterfly (also commonly known as the Blue emperor), is a large swallowtail butterfly of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

and the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

. Its size varies depending on

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 ...

, but the wingspan is about in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. This butterfly is used as an emblem for tourism in Queensland, Australia.

Description

Papilio ulysses ambiguus Rothschild, 1895

The Ulysses butterfly typically has a wingspan of about , but depending on

has some variations in size (western subspecies largest). The upperside of the wings are an iridescent electric blue; the underside is a more subdued black and brown. The colours are produced by the microscopic structure of the scales, a phenomenon called

structural colouration Structural coloration in animals, and a few plants, is the production of colour by microscopically structured surfaces fine enough to interfere with visible light instead of pigments, although some structural coloration occurs in combination wit ...

.P. Vukusic, J. R. Sambles, C. R. Lawrence, R. J. Wootton (2001) Sculpted-multilayer optical effects in two species of Papilio butterfly. Applied Optics 40:1116-1125 The female of the species is different from the male in that she has little crescents of blue in the back, upside sections of her hindwings, where there is only black for males. When the butterfly is perched the intense blue of its wings is hidden by the plainer brown under side of its wings, helping it to blend in with its surroundings. When in flight, the butterfly can be seen hundreds of metres away as sudden bright blue flashes. Males are strongly attracted to the colour blue, including blue objects which are sometimes mistaken for females.

Similar species

The other members of the ''Papilio ulysses''

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 ...

. *''

Papilio montrouzieri ''Papilio montrouzieri'', occasionally referred to as Montrouzier's Ulysses, is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus ''Papilio'' that is endemic to New Caledonia. It resembles the more widespread relative, ''Papilio ulysses''. Its ...

'' Boisduval, 1859 *''

Papilio syfanius ''Papilio syfanius'' is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus ''Papilio'' that is found in China. where it is endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, s ...

'' Oberthür, 1886

Subspecies

*''P. u. ulysses'' Seran, Ambon *''P. u. telemachus'' Montrouzier, 1856 Trobriand, Fergusson, Goodenough *''P. u. telegonus'' C. & R. Felder, 1860 Bachan, Ternate, Halmahera *''P. u. autolycus'' C. & R. Felder, 1865 West Irian - Papua *''P. u. joesa'' Butler, 1869 Cape York - McKay, Queensland *''P. u. orsippus'' Godman & Salvin, 1888 Choiseul, Isabel, Guadalcana, Florida Island *''P. u. ambiguus'' Rothschild, 1895 Bismarck Archipelago *''P. u. melanotica'' Hagen, 1897 Moluccas *''P. u. gabrielis'' Rothschild, 1898 Admiralty Is. *''P. u. nigerrimus'' Ribbe, 1898 Bougainville, Shortland Is. *''P. u. morotaicus'' Rothschild, 1908 Morotai Island *''P. u. dohertius'' Rothschild, 1898 Obi *''P. u. ampelius'' Rothschild, 1908 Buru *''P. u. oxyartes'' Fruhstorfer, 1909 Aru *''P. u. georgius'' Rothschild, 1908 New Georgia Group

Diet and conservation

Conservation

The Ulysses butterfly inhabits

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatori ...

areas and suburban gardens. The Australian government requires breeders to obtain permits, although the species is not endangered. In the past, this butterfly had been threatened but planting

pink flowered doughwood ''Melicope elleryana'', commonly known as pink flowered doughwood, pink evodia, corkwood, or saruwa, is a species of rainforest shrub or tree in the family Rutaceae, and is native to New Guinea, parts of eastern Indonesia, the Solomon Islands an ...

has increased its numbers. Reduction in the number of the '' Euodia'' trees, a tree heavily used for laying eggs and for leaves eaten by caterpillars, may threaten the survival of this butterfly. Females favour small trees up to 2 metres tall to lay their eggs.

Diet

The larval food plants of this butterfly include kerosene wood, a variety of ''

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 ...

'', and '' Euodia''. In Australia, the Ulysses butterfly imago is known to feed from the blossoms of the pink flowered doughwood, a tree with clusters of small pink flowers that extrude from its branches.

References

External links

ButterflyCorner.net
{{Taxonbar, from=Q135582

ulysses Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature. Ulysses may also refer to: People * Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name Places in the United States * Ulysses, Kansas * Ulysse ...

Butterflies described in 1758 Butterflies of Asia Butterflies of Australia Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus