Papilio rex

Papilio rex, the regal swallowtail or king papilio, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Africa.[2]

Papilio rex
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Papilionidae
Tribe:
Papilionini
Genus:
Papilio
Species:
P. rex
Binomial name
Papilio rex
Synonyms
  • Papilio mimeticus Rothschild, 1897
  • Papilio schultzei Aurivillius, 1904
  • Papilio rex var. arnoldi Richelmann, 1909
  • Papilio abyssinicus Poulton, 1926
  • Papilio rex f. commixta Aurivillius, 1908
  • Papilio rexi f. commixta Aurivillius, 1908
  • Papilio rex var. alinderi f. lindblomi Bryk, 1928
  • Papilio rex f. intermediata Bryk, 1930
  • Papilio rex alinderi f. holmi Bryk, 1953
  • Papilio rex barnsi Le Cerf, 1924
  • Papilio rex var. regulus Le Cerf, 1919
  • Papilio rex ab. eisneri Bryk, 1928
  • Papilio rex f. endymion Stoneham, 1951

The Kenyan forms mimic Tirumala formosa, the forest monarch butterfly.

The larvae feed on Teclea tricocarpa, Teclea stuhlmanni, Calodendrum, Citrus, Clausena, Fagara and Toddalia species.

Description

The ground colour is black. There are numerous white markings and the base of the forewing is orange brown (sometimes black with a white streak in males).

Taxonomy

Papilio rex is a member of the dardanus species group. The members of the clade are:

Subspecies
  • P. r. rex (Kenya (east of the Rift Valley), north-eastern Tanzania, central Tanzania)
  • P. r. mimeticus Rothschild, 1897 (Congo Republic, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, north-western Tanzania, western Kenya)
  • P. r. franciscae Carpenter, 1928 (southern Sudan, south-western Ethiopia)
  • P. r. alinderi Bryk, 1928 (Kenya (highlands west of the Rift Valley))
  • P. r. schultzei Aurivillius, 1904 (eastern Nigeria, highlands of Cameroon)
  • P. r. abyssinicana Vane-Wright, 1995 (highlands of south-eastern Ethiopia)
  • P. r. regulana Vane-Wright, 1995 (Kenya (highlands east of the Rift Valley))

Biogeographic realm

Afrotropical realm

References
  1. Papilio, Site of Markku Savela
  2. Afrotropical Butterflies: File C – Papilionidae - Tribe Papilionini
  • 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)
  • Collins, N. Mark; Morris, Michael G. (1985). Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World: The IUCN Red Data Book. Gland & Cambridge: IUCN. ISBN 978-2-88032-603-6 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.


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