Biology and Life-cycle
The habitat is lowland or montane primary forest. Adult males fly high around trees rarely descending to the ground. Females fly below the canopy searching for the foodplant which is a species of Aristolochia with orange fruits. The male emits a pleasant scent from the fringe of white hairs along the anal vein of the hind wing.
The egg is 4 mm. in diameter and light orange. Eggs are laid singly and are atteched to the ventral surface of an Aristolochia leaf or a nearby object. The first instar larva is dark red wine colour.Instars 2-5 are velvet black and bear red tubercles with long black tips.The pupa is brown with a bright yellow and orange saddlemark.It has a waxy coating and two short, sharp spurs on abdominal segments 3-6.
The eggs are parasitised by species of Chalcidoidea and the larvae are parasitised by Braconidae. Ants, lizards and birds eat the larvae and pupae and in monsoon the larvae suffer 30% mortality.
Read more about this topic: Ornithoptera Paradisea
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