Papilio polytes (Common Mormon, Kleiner Mormon, Mormon Commun)

Papilio polytes, also called Common Mormon is a nice butterfly from Australasia / Indomalaya ecozone (Australia). The first description was in 1758 by Linnaeus. The wingspan is about 9.0 – 10.0 cm. The Common Mormon is a member of the family PAPILIONIDAE. The butterfly is black with some white and red spots. Hind wings have tails.

Photos for easy identification

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

These are nice photos of Papilio polytes (Common Mormon, Mormon Commun, Kleiner Mormon) (male). Papilio polytes is a member of the family PAPILIONIDAE from Australasia / Indomalaya ecozone (Australia).

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer; 28.06.2006, La Serre aux Papillon, Paris

Description

The forewings are black. At the margin there are some whit spots.
The underside is a copy of upside.

The hind wings are black and have tails. The margin is ridged. In the middle of wing there is a chain of white spots. In back there is a blue eye.
The underside is nearly a copy of upside, but there is a second chain of little white spots and the eye is blue and red.

The body is black.

Sex differences: The Females has a broad whitish area, with many black veins or stripes on forewing. In the middle of hind wings there is a white area with some black veins. Next to the margin there is a chain of red spots. In back there is a red spot.

Macro photographs

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer; 26.08.2006, macro photograph of Papilio polytes f (upside)

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer; 26.08.2006, macro photograph of Papilio polytes f (upside)

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer; 26.08.2006, macro photograph of Papilio polytes f (upside)

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer; 26.08.2006, macro photograph of Papilio polytes f (upside)

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer; 26.08.2006, macro photograph of Papilio polytes m (upside)

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer; 26.08.2006, macro photograph of Papilio polytes m (underside)

Here you can see some macro photographs of Papilio polytes.

Distribution

The Common Mormon (Papilio polytes) is a butterfly of the Australasia / Indomalaya ecozone (Australia) and the Palaearctic ecozone (Asia). The distribution extend from Celebes, Java and the Philippines to Thailand, Myanmar and from Vietnam to the South of China, India and the North of Pakistan.

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

Larval food

Rutaceae:

<td></td></td><//td></td><//td><td></td></td><//td>Aegle marmelos
<td></td></td><//td></td><//td><td></td></td><//td>Atalantia monophylla
<td></td></td><//td></td><//td><td></td></td><//td>Citrus aurantifolia
Citrus aurantium
Citrus deliciosa
Citrus hystrix
<td></td></td><//td></td><//td><td></td></td><//td>Citrus limon
<td></td></td><//td></td><//td><td></td></td><//td>Citrus maxima
<td></td></td><//td></td><//td><td></td></td><//td>Citrus reticulata
Citrus sinensis
Clausena excavata
Clausena lansium
<td></td></td><//td></td><//td><td></td></td><//td>Euodia gabrifolia
Glycosmis arborea
Murraya koenigii

General information

The first description of this butterfly was in 1758 by Linnaeus. There are many subspecies.

Papilio polytes alcindor [Oberthür]
Papilio polytes javanus [Felder]
Papilio polytes ledebouria [Eschscholtz]
Papilio polytes mandane [Rothschild, 1895]
Papilio polytes messius [Fruhstorfer, 1908]
Papilio polytes nicanor [Felder]
Papilio polytes nikobarus [Felder]
Papilio polytes pasikrates [Fruhstorfer]
Papilio polytes perversus [Rothschild]
Papilio polytes polycritos [Fruhstorfer]
Papilio polytes romulus [Cramer, 1775]
Papilio polytes sotira [Jordan]
Papilio polytes stichioides [Evans, 1927]
Papilio polytes theseus [Cramer]
Papilio polytes thibetanus [Oberthür, 1886]
Papilio polytes timorensis [Felder]
Papilio polytes tucanus [Jordan]
Papilio polytes vigellius [Fruhstorfer]

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

Here you can see a female of Papilio polytes.

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

Here you can see a female of Papilio polytes romulus [Cramer, 1775] from India.

Protection provisions / Red List

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

-no entry- (as at 14.06.2006)
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/)