Ornithoptera priamus
Ornithoptera priamus is a butterfly from Australasia / Indomalaya ecozone (Australia). The first description was in 1758 by Linnaeus. The wingspan is about 18 – 22 cm. This butterfly is a member of the family PAPILIONIDAE. Ornithoptera priamus is black. It has large green areas on the wings. The females are brown and have some white spots. They are significant-larger than the males.
Photos for easy identification
- 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 some photos of Ornithoptera priamus (male above / female below). Ornithoptera priamus is a member of the family PAPILIONIDAE from Australasia / Indomalaya (Australia).
Description
The fore wings are black. The edge is green. A black and longish odour-spot is on the wing.
The underside of Ornithoptera priamus is black. There is a chain of bluish or green spots in the middle of the wing.
The hind wings of Ornithoptera priamus are green. At the wing leading edge there is a big, golden spots. At the outer edge there is also a small golden spot and a chain of black spots. The edge of wing is black.
The underside is dark-green or bluish. The golden spots are transperent like a window. The veins are black partly. The edge of wing is black. At the outer edge there is a chain of black spots.
The body (abdomen) is yellow. Head and thorax are black. The underside of thorax has a red hair-coat.
Sex differences: The female covers the upper range of the wing-span. It is significant-larger than the male. The basic colour of the female is dark-brown. There is a chain of white spots on the fore wings. On the hind wings there are big yellow marks. These marks have a dark core. The underside is a copy from upside.
Distribution
Ornithoptera priamus is a butterfly from the Australasia / Indomalaya (Australia) ecozone. You can see this butterfly in New Guinea, on the Moluccas and in the North of Australia.
- This world map shows the ecozones in which this butterfly is distributed.
Larval food
Aristolochiaceae:
- Aristolochia acuminata
- Aristolochia clematitis
- Aristolochia deltantha
- Aristolochia dielsiana
- Aristolochia elegans
- Aristolochia griffithii
- Aristolochia indica
- Aristolochia kaempferi
- Aristolochia littoralis
- Aristolochia praevenosa
- Aristolochia schlechteri
- Aristolochia tagala
General information
The first description of this butterfly was in 175by Linnaeus. There are many subspecies.
- Ornithoptera priamus admiralitatis [Rothschild, 1915]
- Ornithoptera priamus arruana [Felder, 1859]
- Ornithoptera priamus boisduvalii [Montrouzier, 1856]
- Ornithoptera priamus bornemanni [Pagenstecher, 1894]
- Ornithoptera priamus caelestis [Rothschild, 1898]
- Ornithoptera priamus demophanes [Fruhstorfer, 1913]
- Ornithoptera priamus euphorion [Gray, 1853]
- Ornithoptera priamus gebeensis [Parrott, 1990]
- Ornithoptera priamus hecuba [Röber, 1891]
- Ornithoptera priamus impensus [Parrott, 1990]
- Ornithoptera priamus kasandra [Kobayashi, 1994]
- Ornithoptera priamus macalpinei [Moulds, 1974]
- Ornithoptera priamus miokensis [Ribbe, 1898]
- Ornithoptera priamus poseidon [Doubleday, 1847]
- Ornithoptera priamus pronomus [Gray, [1853]
- Ornithoptera priamus richmondia [Gray, [1853]
- Ornithoptera priamus teucrus [Joicey & Talbot, 1916]
- Ornithoptera priamus urvillianus [Guérin-Méneville, 1830]
Ornithoptera priamus and Troides helena was the first Birdwing butterflies wich were described by scientists. Ornithoptera priamus has a very large area of distribution.
Ornithoptera priamus is, like all other Birdwings a true miracle of nature. This butterfly is strictly protected. It is listed in the appendix II from CITES.
- Photo © by Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Photographer Thomas Neubauer macro photograph of Ornithoptera priamus boisduvalii m (upside)
- Photo © by Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Photographer Thomas Neubauer macro photograph of Ornithoptera priamus boisduvalii m (upside)
Ornithoptera priamus has an optical effect. At a diagonal point of view the wing will change its colour.
- 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 Ornithoptera priamus boisduvalii (male left/ female right). The wingspan is about 14 - 18 cm.
- Photo © by Thomas Neubauer
- Photo © by Thomas Neubauer
Here you can see the golden aberration of the subspecies Ornithoptera priamus euphorion (male left/ female right). This golden euphorion is very rare.
- 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 Ornithoptera priamus miokensis (male left/ female right). The wingspan is about 16 - 21 cm.
- 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 Ornithoptera priamus poseidon (New Guinea Birdwing) (male left/ female right). The wingspan is about 14 - 17 cm.
- 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 Ornithoptera priamus richmondia (Richmond Birdwing) (male left/ female right). The wingspan is about 11 - 14 cm.
- 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 Ornithoptera priamus urvillianus (D'Urville's Birdwing) (male left/ female right). The wingspan is about 17 - 21 cm.
Macro photos
- Photo © by Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Photographer Thomas Neubauer macro photograph of Ornithoptera priamus m (upside)
- Photo © by Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Photographer Thomas Neubauer macro photograph of Ornithoptera priamus m (upside)
- Photo © by Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Photographer Thomas Neubauer macro photograph of Ornithoptera priamus m (underside)
- Photo © by Naturhistorisches Museum Wien; Photographer Thomas Neubauer macro photograph of Ornithoptera priamus f (underside)
Here you can see some macro photos of Ornithoptera priamus.
Protection provisions / Red List
- CITES: (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora):
-Appendix II- (as at 12.02.2008) - EU regulation on trading with species of wild Fauna and Flora:
-Appendix B- (as at 19.08.2005) - IUCN Red List of threatened species:
-no entry- (as at 2008)
Similar and closely-related species
Ornithoptera croesus Wallace 1859 (Wallace´s Golden Birdwing, Goldroter Vogelschwingenfalter)
Scientific name
Ornithoptera priamus Linnaeus 1758
(in past: Troides priamus)
Other names
Cairns Birdwing, New Guinea Birdwing, Richmond Birdwing, D'Urville's Birdwing
Classification / Taxonomy / Family tree
- Kingdom: ANIMALIA
- Phylum: ARTHROPODA
- Class: INSECTA
- Order: LEPIDOPTERA
- Suborder: DITRYSIA
- Superfamily: PAPILIONOIDEA
- Family: PAPILIONIDAE
- Subfamily: PAPILIONINAE
- Tribe: TROIDINI
- Genus: ORNITHOPTERA
- Specific name: PRIAMUS
