Description
- See glossary for terms used
Papilio nephelus has a wingspan reaching about 10–12 centimetres (3.9–4.7 in). The basic colour of the wings is black, with a chain of white spots on the fore wing and a large white or yellow area on the hind wings. The underside and the upperside of the wings in this species are very similar. The hind wings have wavy margins, with long tails. The thorax and the abdomen are black.
Papilio nephelus superficially closely resembles P. helenus. The differences are, however, both of structure and of colour. Male Fore wing upperside: entirely without the thick coating of short hairs on the outer half. Upperside: black with a sprinkling of yellowish-brown scales on the tore wing, that form four longitudinal streaks on the cell and internervular streaks on the outer half. Hind wing: the upper discal white patch larger, formed of elongate broad streaks in interspaces 4 to 7 (not 5 to 7): no tornal nor subterminal markings. Underside ground-colour duller brownish black; fore wing with the diffuse scaling so disposed as to form grey cellular and internervular streaks, the streaks in interspaces 1 a and 1 generally white, not diffuse. Hind wing: basal area sprinkled with yellow scales that form three longitudinal slender lines in the cell: the upper white discal patch as on the upperside, but the elongate white markings that compose it well divided by the black veins; below the discal white patch there is a small series of white spots in interspaces 1 to 3, the spot in 1 generally, in 2 very often, tinged with ochraceous yellow; a subterminal complete series of ochraceous-yellow lunules followed by admarginal narrow white spots. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen black; beneath: a line of white on the palpi, the thorax with some linear white markings.
Female similar. Upperside ground-colour browner; fore wing: cellular and internervular streaks more prominent; in many specimens an obscure diffuse whitish subcostal shading just beyond apex of coll. Underside paler. Fore wing with the cellular and internervular streaks and subcostal postcellular whitish patch more prominent; the posterior three internervular short streaks on the outer half of the wing white, not diffuse; in a few specimens there is a series of more or less conspicuous admarginal white spots, one in the middle of each interspace. Hind wing markings similar to those in the male, but larger and more prominent. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen as in the male, but the abdomen beneath with lateral white markings.
Larvae feed on Toddalia asiatica, Euodia meliifolia, Fagra rhetsa, Citrus spp. and Zanthoxylum rhetsa.
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