Butterflies of
Africa
Citrus
Swallowtail
Papilio demodocus
ESPER, 1799
Family - PAPILIONIDAE
subfamily -
PAPILIONINAE
Tribe - PAPILIONINI
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Papilio demodocus,
Wli Falls, Ghana / Togo border |
Introduction
There
are about 90 known species of Papilionidae in the continent of Africa of which
60 are placed in Papilio - a huge genus comprising
of 210 species worldwide.
Papilio
demodocus is found across most of sub-Saharan Africa, including
Madagascar, and is also found in s.w. Arabia. The butterfly bears a remarkable
resemblance to P. demoleus, an Oriental species
found from n.e. Arabia to the Philippines, and which also occurs in Australasia.
The two species however are not as closely related as their appearance would
seem to indicate.
Habitats
The Citrus Swallowtail is found in a wide variety of habitats ranging from
semi-desert and acacia scrub to secondary forest, arboreta, parks and gardens.
It can be found at altitudes between sea level and at least 1200m.
Lifecycle
The
eggs are laid singly on the leaves of the foodplants, which include
Teclea,
Calodendron, Fagara,
Clausena, Toddalia and
Vepris. The most frequently used plant however is
cultivated Citrus. In dry regions the eggs are laid
on Ruta and Haplophyllum.
All of the aforementioned plants are members of the Rutaceae. In dry areas
Pituranthos and Foeniculum
( Apiaceae ) are used instead.
Adult behaviour
Males often settle on damp ground to
imbibe mineralised moisture, especially in the dry season,
but both sexes are more commonly seen when visiting flowers.
In hilly areas the butterflies
migrate to the peaks, where courtship and copulation take place.
Males sit and bask on bushes, or among tall grasses, often for
half an hour or longer. Periodically they take to the wing and
then spend several minutes at a time circling around the hilltops,
gliding on thermals, but they usually return to the same perching
place afterwards.
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