• Source: Papilio ophidicephalus

Papilio ophidicephalus, the emperor swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The wingspan is 90–110 mm in males and 100–120 mm in females. It has two broods, one from August to December and the second from January to April.
The larvae feed on Clausena inqequalis, Calodendrum capense, Citrus species, Clausena anisata, Zanthoxylum capense and other Zanthoxylum species.




Taxonomy


Papilio ophidicephalus is a member of the menestheus species group. The members of the clade are:

Papilio menestheus Drury, 1773
Papilio lormieri Distant, 1874
Papilio ophidicephalus Oberthür, 1878




Subspecies


Listed alphabetically:

P. o. ayresi van Son, 1939 (South Africa, Eswatini)
P. o. chirinda van Son, 1939 (west-central Mozambique, eastern Zimbabwe)
P. o. cottrelli van Son, 1966 (south-central Zambia)
P. o. entabeni van Son, 1939 (South Africa: Limpopo Province)
P. o. mkuwadzi Gifford, 1961 (south-western Tanzania, northern Malawi, north-eastern Zambia)
P. o. niassicola Storace, 1955 (southern and central Malawi)
P. o. ophidicephalus Oberthür, 1878 (eastern Kenya, Tanzania, north-eastern Zambia, south-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo)
P. o. phalusco Suffert, 1904 (South Africa)
P. o. transvaalensis van Son, 1939 (South Africa: Limpopo Province)
P. o. zuluensis van Son, 1939 (South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal to the north-east)




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)
Collins, N. Mark; Morris, Michael G. (1985). Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World: The IUCN Red Data Book. Gland & Cambridge: IUCN. ISBN 978-2-88032-603-6 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Storace, L.,1955 Su alcune Papilionidae Africane, con descrizioni di nuove forme (Lepidoptera, Diurna). Memorie della Societa Entomologica Italiana 33:120-137.




External links



Butterfly Corner Images from Naturhistorisches Museum Wien

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Papilio ophidicephalus
• Papilio
• List of butterflies of Zambia
• Eastern Highlands
• Papilio lormieri
• List of butterflies of Malawi
• Papilio menestheus
• List of butterflies of Tanzania
• Emperor swallowtail
• List of butterflies of Zimbabwe