Graphium mandarinus
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''Graphium mandarinus'', the spectacle swordtail, which is native to India, is a butterfly of the swallowtail family (Papilionidae). It belongs to subgenus '' Pazala'' of the swordtails, that is, genus ''Graphium''. ''Graphium (Pazala) glycerion'' Gray is considered by some as the correct nomenclature of this butterfly. It has a related species, the sixbar swordtail '' Graphium eurous'', which is also found in India.


Description

Upperside dead white or very pale cream colour. Forewing: cell partially, and interspaces between the dusky black outer discal markings more or less semitransparent; cell crossed by five black bands, the basal two of which extend to the dorsal margin, the subapical to a little below the modim vein; a black band along the discocellulars, joined at costal margin and above lower apex of cell to the band traversing the cell near its apex; a broad transverse postdiscal black band from near tornal angle to costa; this band double above vein 5, forms three well-marked loops; subterminal and terminal narrower transverse black bands, the former joined onto the postdiscal band near tornal angle; lastly, the postdiscal band outwardly and the terminal band inwardly, broadly and diffusely bordered with dusky black. Hindwing: a narrow black line from base along the dorsum, a broader black line along vein 1, joined below the cell by a broad black band that crosses the latter subbasally, a black patch on the produced posterior portion of the wing, studded at the tornal angle with two conspicuous yellow spots, below which there is a triangular white dorsal mark; the black patch with three somewhat obscure blue subterminal lunules; the tail narrowly edged with white; a narrow black medial line from costa that crosses near apex of cell and terminates on the median nervure; at the upper and lower ends of this are loops formed of slender black lines, in the female well marked, in the male seen only by transparency from the underside; finally, discal, postdiscal and subterminal slender black transverse lines from the costa terminate in the black anal patch. Underside similar, with similar but much more heavily defined black markings, the upper or costal loop on the short medial transverse black line tinged with yellow; the whole of the median vein and the discocellulars broadly defined in black. Antennae black; head, thorax and abdomen black, with some white pubescence, the head anteriorly tufted with black; head, thorax and abdomen beneath whitish yellow.


Range

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
,
Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Silig ...
to
Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
, north
Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
and China.


Status

The butterfly is thought to be not common. However, the exact status and distribution of this butterfly are not well known and much work is needed on these aspects.


Habitat

These butterflies are found in open places in wooded country and, like the sixbar swordtail, prefer to inhabit favoured spots.


Habits

Generally, the habits of the spectacle swordtail are similar to those of the sixbar swordtail.


Life cycle

The butterfly can be seen from April to May at heights of .


See also


References

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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 larg ...
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List of butterflies of India The following is a list of the butterflies of India. India has extremely diverse terrain, climate and vegetation, which comprises extremes of heat cold, desert and jungle, of low-lying plains and the highest mountains, of dryness and dampness, i ...
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List of butterflies of India (Papilionidae) This is a list of the butterflies of family Papilionidae (superfamily Papilionoidea), or the swallowtails, which are found in India. This family of large and beautiful butterflies is well represented with 89 species found within Indian borde ...
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5597280 mandarinus Butterflies of Asia Butterflies of Indochina Butterflies described in 1879