Papilio chrapkowskoides

Papilio chrapkowskoides, the broadly green-banded swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus Papilio that is found in the Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Angola.^[2]

Broadly green-banded swallowtail
Upperside
Underside
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Papilionidae
Genus:	Papilio
Species:	P. chrapkowskoides
Binomial name
Papilio chrapkowskoides Storace, 1952[1]
Synonyms
Papilio bromius chrapkowskoides ab. opposita Storace, 1952 Doriana interjacens Storace, 1961 Papilio nurettini Koçak, 1983 Papilio bromius Doubleday, 1845 Papilio bromius ab. tessmanni Strand, 1913 Papilio bromius ab. incerta Strand, 1913 Papilio bromius bromius ab. impunctata Dufrane, 1946 Papilio bromius bromius chrapkowskii ab. ornata Dufrane, 1946 Papilio bromius bromius f. macrops Storace, 1951 Papilio bromius bromius f. latior Storace, 1951 Papilio bromius bromius f. imitans Storace, 1951 Papilio bromius bromius f. angustevittata Storace, 1951 Papilio bromius bromius f. caerulea Storace, 1951 Papilio bromius bromius var. tenuis Storace, 1951 Papilio bromius bromius var. septentrionicola Storace, 1951 Papilio bromius furvus Joicey & Talbot, 1926

Description

The blue or greenish median band of the upper surface is broad, 10–14 mm. broad at the hindmargin of the forewing, 10–17 mm. in the middle of the hindwing and distinctly widened posteriorly; the spot in cellule 2 of the hindwing always completely covers the base of the cellule and the spot in 1 c is very long and always reaches the cell. The green-blue spot in the cell of the forewing above reaches basad at least to the middle of cellule 2; forewing beneath without large yellowish submarginal spots, at the most with a few small spots near to the margin. Sierra Leone to the Congo region and Equatoria.^[3]

Biology

The larvae feed on Calodendrum capense, Vepris, and Citrus species.^[4]

Subspecies

• Papilio chrapkowskoides chrapkowskoides (eastern Congo Republic, south-western Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, western Tanzania)
• Papilio chrapkowskoides nurettini Koçak, 1983 ^[5] (Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Angola, Central African Republic, Congo Republic, western Uganda)
• Papilio chrapkowskoides nerminae Koçak, 1983 (São Tomé and Principe)

Papilio chrapkowskoides nerminae is treated as a full species by some authors.

Taxonomy

Papilio chrapkowskoides is a member of the Papilio genus, of which Papilio appalachiensis and Papilio xuthus are also members. Papilio chrapkowskoides belongs to a clade 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 lack tails with the exception of Papilio charopus and Papilio hornimani. The clade members are:

• Papilio aristophontes Oberthür, 1897
• Papilio nireus Linnaeus, 1758
• Papilio charopus Westwood, 1843
• Papilio chitondensis de Sousa & Fernandes, 1966
• Papilio chrapkowskii 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

Description

Reflecting the confused separation between Papilio bromius and P. chrapkowskii. Very similar to P. chrapkowskii, but pale mottling and submarginal spots below not so well developed. Cilia of forewing black, not white, as in P. chrapkowskii. A somewhat unstable race with frequent transitions to the two previous races: P. bromius and P. chrapkowskii.^[6]