Chilasa paradoxa (Great Mime)

Chilasa paradoxa, also called Great Mime is a butterfly from Australasia / Indomalaya ecozone (Australia). The first description was in 1831 by Zinker. The wingspan is about 10 – 12 cm. This butterfly is a member of the family PAPILIONIDAE. The basic colour of Chilasa paradoxa is dark-brown. It has white spots and blue areas on the wings.

Photos for easy identification

: Photo © by Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Photographer Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Photographer Thomas Neubauer

Here you can see some photos of Chilasa paradoxa (Great Mime) (male above / female below). Chilasa paradoxa is a member of the family PAPILIONIDAE from Australasia / Indomalaya (Australia).

Description

The fore wings are dark-brown. In the middle of the wing there is a blue area. This area contains some white spots. At the outer edge there is a chain of white spots.
The underside of Chilasa paradoxa is very similar to the upside. The basic colour is brown. There are no blue areas.

The hind wings of Chilasa paradoxa are dark-brown. At the edge there is a chain of white spots.
The underside is very similar to the upside. The basic colour is brown.

The body (abdomen) is black. The underside of abdomen has white spots. Thorax and head are also black and they have white spots.

Sex differences: ---

Distribution

Chilasa paradoxa is a butterfly from the Australasia / Indomalaya (Australia) ecozone. You can observe this butterfly from Myanmar until Indonesia.

: This world map shows the ecozones in which this butterfly is distributed.

Larval food

Lauraceae:

Cinnamomum sp.
Litsea sp.

General information

The first description of this butterfly was in 1831 by Zinker. There are five subspecies.

Chilasa paradoxa aenigma [Wallace, 1865]
Chilasa paradoxa melanostoma [Jordan, 1909]
Chilasa paradoxa niasicus [Rothschild, 1895]
Chilasa paradoxa telearchus [Hewitson, 1852]
Chilasa paradoxa telesicles [C. & R. Felder, 1864]

This species mimes other uneatable butterflies (Euploea mulciber). Therefore Chilasa paradoxa is also portected against preditors.

: Photo © by Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Photographer Thomas Neubauer

Here you can see a aberration of Chilasa paradoxa.

: Photo © by Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Photographer Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Photographer Thomas Neubauer

Here you can see the subspecies Chilasa paradoxa melanostoma.

: Photo © by Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Photographer Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Photographer Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Photographer Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Photographer Thomas Neubauer

Here you can see the subspecies Chilasa paradoxa niasicus (male left/ female right).

: Photo © by Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Photographer Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Photographer Thomas Neubauer

Here you can see the subspecies Chilasa paradoxa telearchus.

: Photo © by Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Photographer Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Photographer Thomas Neubauer

Here you can see the subspecies Chilasa paradoxa telesicles zu sehen (male left/ female right).

Protection provisions / Red List

CITES: (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora):

-No entry- (as at 12.02.2008)
EU regulation on trading with species of wild Fauna and Flora

-No entry- (as at 19.08.2005)
IUCN Red List of threatened species:

-No entry- (as at 2008)