Papilio maackii

Papilio maackii is a magnificent butterfly from the Palaearctic ecozone (Asia). The first description was in 1859 by Ménétries. The wingspan is about 12.0 – 14.0 cm. Papilio maackii is a member of the family PAPILIONIDAE. The butterfly is black and it is littered with innumerable individual green scales. Hind wings have broad tails.

Photos for easy identification

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

Here you can see some nice photos of Papilio maackii (male). Papilio maackii is a member of the family PAPILIONIDAE from Palaearctic (Asia).

Description

The forewings are black. The entire wing is littered with innumerable individual green scales. At the edge is a green band with dark veins and strip.
The underside is brown. The outside half of the wing is white and contains innumerable brown strips and veins.

The hind wings of Papilio maackii are black and have broad tails. The margin is ridged. The front half of the wing is littered with innumerable individual blue oder violett scales. The rear half of the wing is littered with innumerable individual green scales. At the edge there is a chain of green spots. In the middle of wing is a green band. In the rear part there is a eye.
The underside is dark-brown. The inner half of the wing is littered with innumerable individual white scales. The boundary of this area is a discontinuous,white band. At the edge there is a chain of big red or orange spots.

The body is black and it has some green scales.

Sex differences: The female is somewhat more brightly colored. The chain of green spots on the top side of the hind wings is partially supplemented with red color. Only the male has the hairy areas on the upside of forewings.

Distribution

Papilio maackii is a butterfly of the Palaearctic ecozone (Asia). The distribution extend from the Southeast of Russia to China and Japan.

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

Larval food

Rutaceae:

Euodia meliaefolia
Orixa japonica
Phellodendron amurense
Zanthoxylum ailanthoides

General information

The first description of this butterfly was in 1859 by Ménétries. There are only two subspecies.

Papilio maackii han [Yoshino, 1997]
Papilio maackii tutanus [Fenton, 1881]

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

Here you can see a male of the subspecies Papilio maackii tutanus (springform).

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

Here you can see a female of the subspecies Papilio maackii tutanus.

Protection provisions / Red List

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

-no entry- (as at 23.06.2005)
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 2004) (see: www.redlist.org/)