Chilasa clytia (Common Mime)
Chilasa clytia, also called Common Mime is a butterfly from Australasia / Indomalaya ecozone (Australia). The first description was in 1758 by Linnaeus. The wingspan is about 8 – 11 cm. This butterfly is a member of the family PAPILIONIDAE. The basic colour of Chilasa clytia is dark-brown or black. It has many yellowish stripes and spots on the wings.
Photos for easy identification
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Here you can see some photos of Chilasa clytia (Common Mime) (male above / female below). Chilasa clytia is a member of the family PAPILIONIDAE from Australasia / Indomalaya (Australia).
Description
The fore wings are black. At the outer edge there are some yellowish spots.
The underside of Chilasa clytia is very similar to the upside.
The hind wings of Chilasa clytia are black. The edge is a little bit wavy. In the middle of the wing there are some yellowish stripes. At the edge there are one chain of yellowish spots and one chain of orange spots.
The underside is very similar to the upside.
The body (abdomen) is black and it has white spots. Thorax and head are also black. The underside of thorax and head have white spots.
Sex differences: The basic colour of the female is dark-brown.
Distribution
Chilasa clytia is a butterfly from the Australasia / Indomalaya (Australia) ecozone. You can observe this butterfly from the North of India until the South of China and Indonesia.
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Larval food
Lauraceae:
- Alseodaphne semecarpifolia
- Cinnamomum camphora
- Cinnamomum iners
- Cinnamomum verum
- Cinnamomum zeylanicum
- Cryptocarya amygdalina
- Litsea apetala
- Litsea glutinosa
- Persea gamblei
- Phoebe lanceolata
Sapotaceae:
- Sarcosperma arboreum
General information
The first description of this butterfly was in 1758 by Linnaeus. There are thirteen subspecies.
- Chilasa clytia anuus [Page & Treadaway, 2003]
- Chilasa clytia duboisi [Page & Treadaway, 2003]
- Chilasa clytia echidna [Boisduval, 1836]
- Chilasa clytia flavolimbatus [Oberthür, 1879]
- Chilasa clytia gulam [Page & Treadaway, 2003]
- Chilasa clytia lacedemon [Fabricius, 1793]
- Chilasa clytia lankeswara [Moore, 1879]
- Chilasa clytia palephates [Westwood, 1845]
- Chilasa clytia panope [Linnaeus, 1758]
- Chilasa clytia panopinus [Staudinger, 1889]
- Chilasa clytia partidu [Page & Treadaway, 2003]
- Chilasa clytia takizawai [Myashita]
- Chilasa clytia visayensis [Okano & Okano, 1987]
This species is very mutabel and it mimes other uneatable butterflies. Therefore Chilasa clytia is also portected against preditors.
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Here you can see the form Chilasa clytia f dissimilis (male left/ female right). The wingspan is about 9 - 11 cm.
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Here you can see the subspecies Chilasa clytia echidna.
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Here you can see the subspecies Chilasa clytia flavolimbatus.
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Here you can see the subspecies Chilasa clytia lankeswara.
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Here you can see the subspecies Chilasa clytia palephates.
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Here you can see the subspecies Chilasa clytia panope.
Macro photos
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Here you can see a macro photo of Chilasa clytia.
Protection provisions / Red List
- CITES: (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora):
-No entry- (as at 12.02.2008) - 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 2008)
Similar and closely-related species
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Scientific name
Chilasa clytia Linnaeus 1758
(In some publications also Papilio clytia)
Other names
Common Mime
Classification / Taxonomy / Family tree
- Kingdom: ANIMALIA
- Phylum: ARTHROPODA
- Class: INSECTA
- Order: LEPIDOPTERA
- Suborder: DITRYSIA
- Superfamily: PAPILIONOIDEA
- Family: PAPILIONIDAE
- Subfamily: PAPILIONINAE
- Tribe: PAPILIONINI
- Genus: CHILASA
- Specific name: CLYTIA
