Papilio polyctor (Common Peacock, Gewöhnlicher Pfau)

Papilio polyctor, also called Common Peacock is a butterfly from Australasia / Indomalaya ecozone (Australia). The first description was in 1836 by Boisduval. The wingspan is about 10 – 12 cm. This butterfly is a member of the family PAPILIONIDAE. Papilio polyctor is black. It has red spots and a blue area on the hind wings.

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 photos of Papilio polyctor stockleyi (Common Peacock)(male). Papilio polyctor is a member of the family PAPILIONIDAE from Australasia / Indomalaya (Australia).

Description

The fore wings are black, but they are spotted by green scales. The outer half of the wing is dark-brown and contains black veins or stripes. The subspecies Papilio polyctor stockleyi has also a small white area at the back part of the wing.
The underside of Papilio polyctor is dark-brown. The veins are black. At the back part of the wing there is a white area.

The hind wings of Papilio polyctor are black and they have broad tails. The edge is ridged. The wing is spotted by green scales. There is a blue area on the wing. At the edge there is a chain of red spots.
The underside is black. The inner part of the wing is spotted by white scales. The outer part is dominated by a chain of red spots.

The body is black or dark-brown.

Sex differences: ---

Distribution

Papilio polyctor (Common Peacock) is a butterfly from the Australasia / Indomalaya (Australia) ecozone. You can meet this butterfly from India to the South of China and to Thailand.

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

Larval food

Rutaceae:

Citrus
Clausena willdenowii
Zanthoxylum acanthopodium
Zanthoxylum alatum
Zanthoxylum oxyphyllum
Zanthoxylum rhetsa

General information

The first description of this butterfly was in 1836 by Boisduval. There are three subspecies.

Papilio polyctor significans [Fruhstorfer]
Papilio polyctor stockleyi [Gabriel, 1936]
Papilio polyctor xiei [Chou, 1994]

Macro photos

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer; macro photograph of Papilio polyctor stockleyi (upside)

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer; macro photograph of Papilio polyctor stockleyi (upside)

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer; macro photograph of Papilio polyctor stockleyi (underside)

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer; macro photograph of Papilio polyctor stockleyi (underside)

Here you can see some macro photos of Papilio polyctor stockleyi.

Protection provisions / Red List

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

-no entry- (Stand: 12.02.2008)
EU regulation on trading with species of wild Fauna and Flora:

-no entry- (Stand: 19.08.2005)
IUCN Red List of threatened species:

-no entry- (Stand: 2008)