Description:
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The common Mormon (Papilio polytes) is a common species of swallowtail butterfly widely distributed across Asia.
This butterfly is known for the mimicry displayed by the numerous forms of its females which mimic inedible red-bodied swallowtails, such as the common rose and the crimson rose. The forewings are black. At the margin there are some whit spots. The underside is a copy of upside. The hind wings are black and have tails. The margin is ridged. In the middle of wing there is a chain of white spots. In back there is a blue eye. The underside is nearly a copy of upside, but there is a second chain of little white spots and the eye is blue and red. The body is black. |
Sex difference:
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The Females has a broad whitish area, with many black veins or stripes on forewing. In the middle of hind wings there is a white area with some black veins. Next to the margin there is a chain of red spots. In back there is a red spot.
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Scientific Name:
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Papilio polytes
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Common Name:
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Common Mormon
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Order:
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Lepidoptera
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Family:
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Papilionidae
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Sub Family:
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Papilioninae
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Wing Span:
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90 - 100 mm
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Status:
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Very common
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Range:
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Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, southern and western China (including Hainan (Guangdong province), Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan (Ryukyu Islands), Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Andamans, Nicobars, Eastern and Peninsular Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia (except Moluccas and Irian Jaya), Philippines, and Northern Marianas (Saipan).
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Andaman & Nicobar:
Andhra Pradesh:
Arunachal Pradesh:
Assam:
Delhi:
Gujarat:
Karnataka:
Kerala:
Maharashtra:
Odisha:
West Bengal:
Sikkim:
Tamil Nadu:
Telangana:
Uttar Pradesh:
Uttarakhand:
All states:
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Apr, Oct
Mar, May, Aug, Dec
May
Jan, May, Aug, Nov
Nov
Mar
Feb, Mar, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
Jun, Jul, Aug
Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
Nov
Jan, Apr, Nov
Apr
Nov, Dec
Nov
May, Oct, Nov
Sep, Nov
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Habitat:
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The common Mormon prefers lightly wooded country, but is present everywhere and high up into the hills. It is a regular visitor to gardens, being especially abundant in orchards of its food plants - oranges and limes. It is most common in the monsoon and post-monsoon months.
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Habit:
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Common Mormon is fond of visiting flowers and its long proboscis permits it to feed from flowers having long corollar tubes. It is particularly fond of Lantana, Jatropha, Ixora, and Mussaenda in city gardens. In the forests, the common Mormon remains low keeping within ten feet off the floor and its prefer to visit Asystasia, Peristrophe, and Jasminum for nectar.
The male common Mormon is a very common visitor to gardens where he will be seen hovering over flowers when the sun is shining. It is a restless insect, zig-zagging fast and straight close to the ground, settling down only when it halts to feed. The mimic female Mormons, stichius and romulus are very convincing mimics due to their habits, especially the flight patterns, being very similar to those of the rose models. However, lacking the protection of inedibility, they tend to be more easily disturbed than the roses and fly off erratically . Only the males take part in mud puddling, usually in cool shaded spots rather than in open areas. They have been known to collect on saline soils to extract minerals. Both sexes bask in the sun on shrubs close to the ground. They hold their wings flat against the substratum. The forewing is lowered to cover part of the hindwing and is a typical stance of the common Mormon. Common Mormons spend the night settled on vegetation with their wings held open, usually quite close to the ground. |
Larval Host Plants:
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Glycosmis pentaphylla, Ravenia spectabilis, Murraya koenigii, Aegle marmelos, Murraya paniculata, Citrus medica, Citrus sp.
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Nectar Plants:
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-
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Source & More Details:
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| Papilio polytes – Common Mormon |
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| Papilio polytes – Common Mormon |
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| Papilio polytes – Common Mormon |
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