Common Rose

Common Rose

Pachliopta aristolochiae aristolochiae

(Fabricius) PAPILIONIDAE

(=Tros aristolochiae ( Fabricius)

Adult

Upperside black. FW discal area paler with black-fold stripes and well marked pale vein-stripes. HW with a prominent tail, 5 elongate white discal spots and red submarginal spots. Female paler with broader wings. Underside discal spot in the anal area red. In FW similar to the female of the Common Mormon, Papilio polytes polytes and the Rose Windmill Pachliopta latreillei and discal spots in HW proximally reduced. Wingspan 80-100mm.

A red bodied swallowtail with 6 subspecies. But only aristolochiae and diphilus forms are common. Both fly together, but aristolochiae is the common form during rainy season. Male emits a strong and slightlypungent odour. Distributed throughout India, except in dense and wet forests. Seldom ascends above 1300m in the hills. Migratory and roosts in large numbers together with the Crimson Rose. P.hector. Flight slow and deliberate. Fond of flowers of Fabaceae. One of the female forms of Papilio polytes is an excellent mimic of this butterfly. The female of the Zygaenid moth, Histia nilgira is a fine example of co-mimicry of this butterfly.

Larva

Black with red fleshy short tubercles. Segments 11 and 12 with a white spot at the anterior base of the subdorsal tubercle. Segment 8 with smaller white spot at the posterior and a larger one at the anterior base of subdorsal tubercle andsegment 7 white in the posterior half. Osmeterium orange.

Feeds on Aristolochia tagala, A.griffithi and Indian Birthwort.

Distribution

India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, China and the Sunda Islands.