Papilio zalmoxis

Papilio zalmoxis, the giant blue swallowtail, is an African butterfly belonging to the family Papilionidae. The name of the species is given in honor of Zalmoxis – a divinity of the Getae (a people of the lower Danube), mentioned by Herodotus in his Histories IV, 93–96.

Giant blue swallowtail
Upperside
Underside
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Papilionidae
Genus:	Papilio
Species:	P. zalmoxis
Binomial name
Papilio zalmoxis Hewitson, 1864[1][2]
Synonyms
Icarus zalmoxis f. sufferti Röber, 1898 Icarus zalmoxis f. ripponi Röber, 1898 Papilio zalmoxis ab. cinereus Schultze, 1913

Description

Papilio zalmoxis has a wingspan reaching about 12–16 centimetres (4.7–6.3 in) and it is the second largest African swallowtail. The colour of the upperside of the wings is usually blue but can be greenish, contrasting with the light-gray color of the underside of the wings. Previously thought to produce the blue colour by Tyndall scattering,^[3] the scales of Papilio zalmoxis are not nanostructured for incoherent scattering, instead the blue is a fluorescent pigmentary colour.^[4]

The uppersides of the forewings have narrow black stripes between black veins. The tip of the wings is black. Uppersides of the hindwings have a black marginal band, with a chain of blue spots. The body is bright yellow. Females are slightly smaller than males, and less brightly colored. The background colour of its wings is yellowish brown.

Distribution

Papilio zalmoxis is an African butterfly, living in tropical areas (Liberia, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Gabon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zaire, Ivory Coast).

Gallery

• 
  From the Central African Republic – mounted specimen
• 
  Hewitson's illustration
• 
  green sheen, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo