Graphium antheus

Large striped swordtail
At Phinda Private Game Reserve, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
Conservation status
Not evaluated (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Papilionidae
Genus:	Graphium
Species:	G. antheus
Binomial name
Graphium antheus (Cramer, [1779])
Synonyms
Papilio antheus (Cramer, 1849) Papilio nyassae Butler, 1877 Papilio lurlinus Butler, 1883 Papilio utuba Hampson, 1891 Papilio antharis Godart, 1819 Papilio antheus evombaroides Eimer, 1889 Papilio mercutius Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1894 Papilio hollandi Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1894 Papilio antheus ab. scheffleri Strand, 1909 Papilio antheuslatepictulus Strand, 1914 Papilio antheus ab. combinata Strand, 1914 Papilio antheus f. micrevombaroides Strand, 1914 Papilio antheus ab. misanus Strand, 1914 Papilio antheus ab. hoesemanni Strand, 1914 Papilio antheus ab. rubrimacula Strand, 1914 Papilio antheus ab. comma Strand, 1914 Papilio (Cosmodesmus) antheus antheus ab. mathieui Dufrane, 1946 Papilio (Cosmodesmus) antheus antheus ab. paradoxa Dufrane, 1946 Papilio antheus f. atrantheus Basquin & Turlin, 1986

Graphium antheus, the large or larger striped swordtail, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae (swallowtails), found in tropical and sub-Saharan Africa.

Description

The wingspan is 65–70 mm in males and 70–75 mm in females.The transverse bars in the cell of the forewing all separated; the apical spot in the cell of the hindwing above completely separated from the median band of the cell by the black ground-colour; the middle cell of the hindwing beneath with a deep black and red spot. The larva is brown to brown-green with a yellow belt on the third segment and lives on Artabotrys, an Anonacea. Sierra Leone to Angola. — In ab.evombaroides Eim. the apical spot of the cell of the hindwing above is more or less united with the median band; otherwise not different from antheus. West Africa. — In ab. utuba Hamps. the fourth and fifth transverse bands in the cell of the forewing are united posteriorly, forming a U-shaped spot; otherwise agreeing with nyassae. Delagoa and British East Africa. — nyassae Btlr. has the middle cell of the hindwing beneath without the black and red spot; the transverse bars in the coll of the fore wing separated. Natal to British East Africa. — ab. (var. ?) lurlinus Btlr. is somewhat larger than antheus and has the green markings of the upperside more extended, especially the transverse bars in the cell of the fore wing and the submarginal spots of both wings are nearly twice as large as in the latter. Nyassaland and in the neighbourhood of Victoria Nyanza.

The flight period is year-round, peaking from November to December.

The larva feed on Uvaria caffra, Artabotrys monteiroae, Annona reticulata, Annona senegalensis, Artabotrys brachypetalus, Cleistochlamys kirkii, Hexalobus monopetalus, Landolphia ugandensis, Monanthotaxis caffra, Monodora junodi, and Uvaria kirkii.

• 
  Fresh, underside
  Bobiri Forest, Ghana
• 
  Mature
  Bobiri Forest, Ghana
• 
  Mature, underside
  Bobiri Forest, Ghana

Taxonomy

Graphium antheus is the nominal member of the antheus - clade (antheus, Graphium evombar , Graphium kirbyi, Graphium junodi, Graphium polistratus, Graphium colonna, Graphium illyris, Graphium gudenusi).

References

• Carcasson, R.H 1960 The Swallowtail Butterflies of East Africa (Lepidoptera,Papilionidae). Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society pdf Key to East Africa members of the species group, diagnostic and other notes and figures. (Permission to host granted by The East Africa Natural History Society
• Lewis, H. L., 1974 Butterflies of the World ISBN 0-245-52097-X page 89, figure 3.