Papilio chrapkowskoides, the broadly green-banded swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus Papilio that is found in the Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Angola.Papilio chrapkowskoides, Funet.fi
Description The blue or greenish median band of the upper surface is broad, 10–14 mm. broad at the hindmargin of the forewing, 10–17 mm. in the middle of the hindwing and distinctly widened posteriorly; the spot in cellule 2 of the hindwing always completely covers the base of the cellule and the spot in 1 c is very long and always reaches the cell. The green-blue spot in the cell of the forewing above reaches basad at least to the middle of cellule 2; forewing beneath without large yellowish submarginal spots, at the most with a few small spots near to the margin. Sierra Leone to the Congo region and Equatoria.Aurivillius, [P.O.]C. 1908-1924. In: Seitz, A. Die Großschmetterlinge der Erde Band 13: Abt. 2, Die exotischen Großschmetterlinge, Die afrikanischen Tagfalter, 1925, 613 Seiten, 80 Tafeln (The Macrolepidoptera of the World 13).Alfred Kernen Verlag, Stuttgart.
Biology The larvae feed on Calodendrum capense, Vepris, and Citrus species.
Subspecies Papilio chrapkowskoides chrapkowskoides (eastern Congo Republic, south-western Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, western Tanzania) Papilio chrapkowskoides nurettini Koçak, 1983 Koçak, A.Ö., 1983-1986, More notes on the homonymy of the specific names of Lepidoptera. Cent. ent. Stud., Priamus 2 (1983) (4): 164-166 (Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Angola, Central African Republic, Congo Republic, western Uganda) Papilio chrapkowskoides nerminae Koçak, 1983 (São Tomé and Principe)
Papilio chrapkowskoides nerminae is treated as a full species by some authors.
Taxonomy Papilio chrapkowskoides is a member of the Papilio genus, of which Papilio appalachiensis and Papilio xuthus are also members. Papilio chrapkowskoides belongs to a clade called the nireus species group with 15 members. The pattern is black with green or blue bands and spots and the butterflies, although called swallowtails lack tails with the exception of Papilio charopus and Papilio hornimani. The clade members are:
Papilio aristophontes Oberthür, 1897 Papilio nireus Linnaeus, 1758 Papilio charopus Westwood, 1843 Papilio chitondensis de Sousa & Fernandes, 1966 Papilio chrapkowskii Suffert, 1904 Papilio chrapkowskoides Storace, 1952 Papilio desmondi van Someren, 1939 Papilio hornimani Distant, 1879 Papilio interjectana Vane-Wright, 1995 Papilio manlius Fabricius, 1798 Papilio microps Storace, 1951 Papilio sosia Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 Papilio thuraui Karsch, 1900 Papilio ufipa Carcasson, 1961 Papilio wilsoni Rothschild, 1926
Description Reflecting the confused separation between Papilio bromius and P. chrapkowskii. Very similar to P. chrapkowskii, but pale mottling and submarginal spots below not so well developed. Cilia of forewing black, not white, as in P. chrapkowskii. A somewhat unstable race with frequent transitions to the two previous races: P. bromius and P. chrapkowskii.Carcasson, R.H. (1960). The Swallowtail Butterflies of East Africa (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae). Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society pdf Key to East Africa members of the species group, diagnostic and other notes and figures. (Permission to host granted by The East Africa Natural History Society)
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