Skip to main content

Great mormon swallowtail (Papilio memnon)

Pastur butterfly or great mormon swallowtail (Papilio memnon) is an animal species in Papilionidae, large size, has more than 14 subspecies, very polymorphism, especially females for color and shape, males are more dominated by black color, live in tropical open forests and agricultural land.

P. memnon has a wingspan of 120-163 mm with a very varied color pattern for at least 26 forms of color patterns in females and four forms of color patterns in males. Many of these are mimicry of species of butterflies that predators don't like to eat. Generally has a tail on the back, but some subspecies do not.

Dlium Great mormon swallowtail (Papilio memnon)


The male has a front wing length of 62.7 mm, a rear wing length of 39.6 mm, a body length of 33.6 mm and an antenna length of 22.6 mm. Front wings on top surface with dark to black color. Sometimes there is a red spot near the base.

Females have a front wing length of 62.7 mm, a rear wing length of 39.6 mm, a body length of 33.6 mm and an antenna length of 22.6 mm. The forewings on the upper surface are sepia with grayish-white and red streaks near the base. The upper surface of the hind wings is black or blue with 5-7 white patches.

Larvae feed on leaves from citrus species, especially pomelo (Citrus grandis) and lime (Citrus aurantifolia). Imago lays a single egg under the leaves and it will hatch in three days. Instars look like bird droppings. The pupal process takes 2.5 weeks. Eggs are spherical, yellow, 1.3 mm in diameter.



Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Tribe: Papilionini
Genus: Papilio
Subgenus: Menelaides
Species: Papilio memnon

Popular Posts

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) manufacture bubble-nets as tools to increase prey intake

NEWS - Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) create bubble net tools while foraging, consisting of internal tangential rings, and actively control the number of rings, their size, depth and horizontal spacing between the surrounding bubbles. These structural elements of the net increase prey intake sevenfold. Researchers have known that humpback whales create “bubble nets” for hunting, but the new report shows that the animals also manipulate them in a variety of ways to maximize catches. The behavior places humpbacks among the rare animals that make and use their own tools. “Many animals use tools to help them find food, but very few actually make or modify these tools themselves,” said Lars Bejder, director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP), University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Humpback whales in southeast Alaska create elaborate bubble nets to catch krill. They skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form a web with internal rings. They actively control details such ...

Javan mocca or Javan slender caesar (Amanita javanica)

OPINION - Javan mocca or Javan slender caesar ( Amanita javanica ) is a mysterious fungus species and has been enigmatic since it was first reported by Boedijn in 1951 and after that no explanation or reporting of specimens is believed to be the same as expected. Boedijn (1951) described A. javanica which grew on Java island as having the characteristics covered in the Amanita genus. Corner and Bas in 1962 tried to describe Javan mocca and all species in Amanita based on specimens in Singapore. Over time some reports say that they have found A. javanica specimens in other Southeast Asia including also China, Japan, India and Nepal. But there is no definitive knowledge and many doubt whether the specimen is the same as described by Boedijn (1951). I was fortunate to have seen this species one afternoon and soon I took out a camera for some shots. In fact, I've only met this mushroom species once. Javan mocca is an endangered species and I have never seen in my experience in...

Cembirit (Tabernaemontana macrocarpa)

Cembirit or Pacman ( Tabernaemontana macrocarpa ) is a species of shrub in Apocynaceae or a tree up to 20 meters tall with a stem diameter of up to 50 centimeters. The bark is yellowish brown, brown, gray-brown or gray and abundant white gummy. T. macrocarpa grows in forests ranging from sea level to 1,500 meters with the natural habitat of the karst ecosystem, blooms throughout the year and is a pre-disturbance plant. Fragrant flowers feature a combination of cream, white and orange corolla lobes. Single leaves intersect in the form of a push to a lancet with a size of 6-14 cm long and 1-7 cm wide. The base and tip of the leaf are pointed with a flat edge, the surface is slippery, the top is green and the bottom is light green. Cembirit has fruit with single or paired follicles, round or oval for each 11-16 cm in diameter. The fruit is green and will turn orange as it ages. They will break completely and face down when ripe and the inside is dark red. Each fruit contains 90-...