Blue Mormon

Blue Mormon

Papilio polymnestor ( cramer ) PAPILIONIDAE

Papilio polymnestor ( Cramer)) PAPILIONIDAE - Blue Mormon

Adult upperside black. Fw with apale blue discal band which decreases in size towards apex and traversed by black stripes along the veins. An elongate red spot slightly visible at the base of the cell. HW black at the base. Outer three quarters pale blue with discal, marginal and terminal series of prominent black spots. Female slightly bigger and duller. Underside opaque black. FW with an elongate red spot and HW with 5, small, irregular red patches at the base of cell. Wingspan 120-150mm.

A tailless butterfly with head, thorax and abdomen uniformly blackish brown. The second largest swallowtail butterfly in south India, common in the heavily forested regions, except in the driest lowland habitats. Can be easily identified by its swift, dipping flight and the broad, pale blue patch in the HW. Unlike other swallowtails, it comes readily to foul substances, especially towards droppings of otter in the forests. Male often found drinking on wet mud or sand at the commencement of the monsoon. At rest, keeps the wings horizontally.

Larva

Velvety green. Body swollen at the segments 3 and 4 having lateral dark green eyespots and a white and black transverse ring, lateral bluish white broad stripes from the middle to the posterior region, white band in the posterior region and a spine each on first and last segment. Osmeterium pale orange.

Feeds mostly on plants of Rutceae, especially Pomelo, Malay Clycosmis, India Atalantia, Wild Orange, Garcinia, Paramigyna monophylla etc.

Distribution

India, Sri lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.