''Papilio constantinus'', the Constantine's swallowtail, is a
butterfly of the family
Papilionidae. 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 is 70–90 mm in males and 80–95 mm in females. The ground colour is black with pale yellow or white markings including a large yellow spot in the cell. Its flight period is during the warmer months peaking from November to February.
The larvae feed on ''Vepris Reflexi'', ''
Vepris lanceolata
''Vepris lanceolata'' (umZane or white ironwood) is a large, evergreen tree native to southern and eastern Africa. It ranges from southeastern Kenya through Tanzania and Mozambique to South Africa, where it grows in coastal evergreen thicket or o ...
'', ''
Vepris undulata
''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 ...
'', ''
Clausena'' species, ''
Citrus'' species, ''
Teclea trifoliatum
''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) accep ...
'', ''
Teclea nobilis
''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 ...
'', and ''
Teclea gerrardii
''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 ...
''.
[
]
Taxonomy
''Papilio constantinus'' is a member of the ''dardanus'' species group. The members of the 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, ...
are:
*'' Papilio dardanus'' Brown, 1776
*''Papilio constantinus'' Ward, 1871
*''Papilio delalandei
''Papilio delalandei'' is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is endemic to Madagascar.
Taxonomy
''Papilio delalandei'' is a member of the ''dardanus'' species-group. The
members of the clade are
*''Papilio dardanus'' Brown, 1776
*''Pap ...
'' Godart, 824
__NOTOC__
Year 824 ( DCCCXXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* November 11 – The '' Constitutio Romana'' establishes the authority of the ...
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*''Papilio phorcas
''Papilio phorcas'', the apple-green swallowtail or green-banded swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Africa.
The larvae feed on '' Teclea nobilis'', '' Teclea simplicifolia'', '' Macrostylis villosa'', ''Vepris ...
'' Cramer, 775
__NOTOC__
Year 775 (Roman numerals, DCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 775 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domi ...
/small>
*''Papilio rex
''Papilio rex'', the regal swallowtail or king papilio, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Africa.
It is a semi-montane and montane forest (1, 300 m. to 2 600 m.) species.
The larvae feed on ''Teclea tricocarpa'', ''Tecl ...
'' Oberthür, 1886
Subspecies
Listed alphabetically:[
*''Papilio constantinus constantinus'' Ward, 1871 (south-eastern Ethiopia, southern Somalia, coast of Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, southern and north-eastern Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, eastern Botswana, South Africa, Eswatini)
*''Papilio constantinus lecerfi'' Koçak, 1996 (Kenya: central highlands and the Mau Escarpment)
*''Papilio constantinus mweruanus'' Joicey & Talbot, 1927 ][ Joicey. J. J. & Talbot, G., 1927 New forms of Lepidoptera Rhopalocera ''Encycl. Ent.'' (B3) 2 (1) : 1-14 ] (Democratic Republic of the Congo, western Tanzania, Zambia)
Biogeographic realm
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 ...
.
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)
*
External links
*
*
Images from Naturhistorisches Museum Wien
Butterflies described in 1871
constantinus
Butterflies of Africa
Taxa named by Christopher Ward (entomologist)
{{Papilionidae-stub