Great mormon swallowtail (Papilio memnon)

Great mormon swallowtail (Papilio memnon) is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is a large, highly polymorphic species—particularly the females, which exhibit significant variation in color and form—while the males are generally dominated by a black coloration. This species inhabits tropical open forests and agricultural areas.

P. memnon has a wingspan of 120–163 mm and displays a wide array of color patterns, with at least 26 distinct forms in females and 4 in males. Many of these patterns serve as mimicry, imitating other butterfly species that are unpalatable or avoided by predators. Most individuals possess "tails" on their hindwings, though some subspecies lack them.



Males have a body length of 33.6 mm and an antenna length of 22.6 mm; the upperside of their forewings is dark to black, sometimes featuring a red patch near the base. Females also have a body length of 33.6 mm and an antenna length of 22.6 mm; the upperside of their forewings is dark brown with grayish-white streaks and a red mark near the base, while the upperside of their hindwings is black or blue, marked with 5–7 white spots.

Females lay their eggs singly on the undersides of leaves. The eggs are pale creamy-yellow with a slightly rough surface, nearly spherical in shape, and measure 1.8 mm in diameter. They take 3 days to hatch. Upon hatching, the young caterpillar consumes part of the egg to emerge, then finishes off the remainder of the eggshell. The caterpillar is somewhat spiny and measures 4 mm in length; its dorsal side is grayish-white, while its sides are dark brown.

During the first instar, the caterpillar grows to a length of 7.5 mm, and its dorsal side shifts to a yellowish-brown color. It develops a faint, whitish, saddle-like pattern on the middle abdominal segments, along with white markings on the prothorax and the posterior abdominal segments. This phase lasts 3 days, after which the caterpillar molts into the next instar.

In the 2nd instar, white markings become more distinct on the anterior, middle, and posterior body segments. This phase lasts 2–3 days, with a body length of 10 mm.

In the 3rd instar, more dark brown to black spots appear, and a white, saddle-shaped marking becomes more pronounced. The brown coloration gradually shifts toward yellowish and dark green tones. This phase lasts 3 days, with a body length of 20 mm.

In the 4th instar, the body becomes more slimy, and the faint green patterns—intermixed with white stripes—become more defined. This phase lasts 4 days, with a body length of 30 mm.

In the 5th instar, two eye-like spots emerge on the third thoracic segment, along with transverse bands on the first and second abdominal segments and diagonal stripes across the middle abdominal segments. The base color of the body gradually transitions to a solid green. The shield-like thoracic region appears highly prominent.

The eye-like spots on the third thoracic segment are connected by a green transverse band across the dorsal side, which is adorned with a sinuous pattern. A similar band is also present between the first and second abdominal segments, featuring pale bluish gaps amidst the sinuous markings.

The first diagonal stripe extends from the base of the third abdominal segment toward the upper part of the fourth segment. The second diagonal stripe is located on both sides of the fifth abdominal segment; it is broad at the base and tapers toward the dorsal side. Both sets of diagonal stripes are predominantly whitish, accented with small greenish and bluish spots.

Toward the end of this phase, the caterpillar’s body gradually shortens. Eventually, the caterpillar settles on the underside of a stem and enters the pre-pupal stage. This phase lasts 9 days, with the body reaching a length of 55–60 mm.

Pupation occurs one day later. The pupa attaches itself to a plant stem with the aid of a silken girdle. It is predominantly green with large, yellowish patches. The pupa features a horn on its head and projections on its thorax, appearing angular when viewed from the side. It measures 37–38 mm in length.

After a 10-day developmental period, the pupa turns black. The following day, the adult butterfly emerges. The underside of the wings is clearly visible as the butterfly dries its wings over the first few hours.

TAXON

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Tribe: Papilionini
Genus: Papilio Linnaeus (1758)
Subgenus: Menelaides
Species: Papilio memnon Linnaeus (1758)
Subspecies:
P. m. memnon
P. m. mayo Atkinson (1873)
P. m. anceus Cramer (1779)
P. m. thunbergi Siebold (1824)
P. m. lowii Druce (1873)
P. m. oceani Doherty (1891)
P. m. merapu Doherty (1891)
P. m. pryeri Rothschild (1895)
P. m. clathratus Rothschild
P. m. subclathratus Fruhstorfer
P. m. coeruleus van Eecke
P. m. perlucidus Fruhstorfer
P. m. heronus Fruhstorfer (1902)
P. m. tanahsahi Eliot (1982)

SYNONYMS

Papilio agenor Linnaeus (1758)
Papilio androgeos Cramer (1776)
Papilio angustus Chou, Yuan & Wang (2000)
Papilio laomedon Cramer (1775)
Papilio memnon clathratus Rothschild (1896)
Papilio memnon yunnanensis Chou, Yuan & Wang (2000)
Papilio memnon heronus Fruhstorfer (1902)
Papilio memnon imperiosus Fruhstorfer (1907)
Papilio memnon memnoides Fruhstorfer (1903)
Papilio memnon perlucidus Fruhstorfer (1903)
Papilio memnon pryeri Rothschild (1895)
Papilio memnon pseudolampsacus Murayama & Shimonoya (1968)

PUBLICATIONS

Linnaeus, Carolus (1758): Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae: secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Stockholm: Laurentius Salvius, DOI: https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.542

VERNACULAR NAME

Australia: Christmas swallowtail
Chinese (simplified): 美凤蝶
Chinese (traditional): 大鳳蝶 - 美鳳蝶
Christmas Island: Christmas Swallowtail
Dutch: Grote mormoonvlinder
English: Great mormon swallowtail, Christmas swallowtail
French: Grand mormon
German: Großer Mormone
Hong Kong: 美鳳蝶
Indonesia: Kupu-kupu pastur
Italian: Grande mormone
Japanese: スンダナガサキアゲハ
Java: Kupu pastur
Korean: 멤논제비나비
Macao: 美鳳蝶
Spanish: Mariposa golondrina memnon
Swedish: Mångformig riddarfjäril
Taiwan: 大鳳蝶

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