Papilio plagiatus (Mountain Mimic Swallowtail)

Papilio plagiatus, also called Mountain Mimic Swallowtail is a butterfly from Afrotropic ecozone (Africa). The first description was in 1898 by Aurivillius. The wingspan is about 8 – 9 cm. This butterfly is a member of the family PAPILIONIDAE. The basic colour of Papilio plagiatus is black. White areas and spots dominate 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 Papilio plagiatus (Mountain Mimic Swallowtail). Papilio plagiatus is a member of the family PAPILIONIDAE from Afrotropic ecozone (Africa).

Description

The fore wings are black. In the middle of the wing there is a chain of large, white spots.
The underside of Papilio plagiatus is very similar to the upside. But, the basic colour is brown.

The hind wings of Papilio plagiatus are black. The edge is wavy. A very big, white area dominates the wing.
The underside is brown. Next to the body there is a red-brown area with black spots and stripes. In the middle of the wing there is a white band with black veins and stripes.

The body (abdomen) is black. The thorax and the head are black. The underside of all parts is brown.

Sex differences:---

Distribution

Papilio plagiatus is a butterfly from the Afrotropic (Africa) ecozone. You can observe this butterfly from Nigeria until Sudan.

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

Larval food

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General information

The first description of this butterfly was in 1898 by Aurivillius. There are no subspecies.

Protection provisions / Red List

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

-no entry-
EU regulation on trading with species of wild Fauna and Flora:

-no entry-
IUCN Red List of threatened species:

-no entry-