Papilio melonius

Papilio melonius is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus Papilio that is found in Jamaica.^[1]

Papilio melonius
Plate accompanying original description Papilio melonius is figure 59
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Papilionidae
Genus:	Papilio
Species:	P. melonius
Binomial name
Papilio melonius Rothschild & Jordan, 1906
Synonyms
Papilio thoas melonius Rothschild & Jordan, 1906

Original description

P. thoas melonius subsp. nov. (PI. VIII. fig. 59). Males . A remarkably distinct form, usually of small size, resembling small specimens of P.cresphontes Yellow markings of upperside pale ; forewing :discal patch R2— R3 as in P. cresphontes much longer than the following patch ; patch M1 — M2- acuminate distally ; no spot in cell ; three submarginal spots, occasionally preceded by one or two small dots ; patch SC5 — R1 entire or nearly, but sometimes deeply sinuate. Hindwing : yellow marginal abdominal spot large, continuous with the orange-red halfmoon, at the proximal side of which there is a blue crescent; spot on tail small in male. Underside, forewing : submarginal spots R3 — M2 much larger than the others, spot M1 — M2 being the largest, spot R2— R3 about the same size as spot M2 — SM2 or smaller. Hindwing : three large orange patches R2 — M1, sharply defined, the third being the longest, being more than half the length of the pale yellow submarginal patch R3 — M1 ; a complete series of pale blue spots, all the same pure colour ; occasionally some orange scaling in apex of cell and behind SC2- ; orange anal halfring larger than in the other forms of P. thoas.

Genitalia : Male. Tenth tergite long, much slenderer than in the other subspecies, strongly spatulate, longitudinally grooved beneath, not carinate ; long pointed process of sternite straight, the hairy tooth at base of this process small ; harpe quite different from that of all other subspecies, being short, subtruncate, with the apex denticulate.Female Anterior edge of vaginal orifice not tubercnliform, on each side of the orifice a ridge, and behind the orifice two donble ridges. Hab. Jamaica.

In the Tring Museum 6 males 3 females

Also in coll. Grose-Smith and coll. Adams. ^{[2] [3]}

Taxonomy

Papilio melonius is a member of the Papilio thoas species group.