Butterflies of
Africa
Volta
Swallowtail
Papilio nobicea
SUFFERT, 1904
Family - PAPILIONIDAE
subfamily -
PAPILIONINAE
Tribe - PAPILIONINI
Papilio nobicea,
Wli Falls, Ghana / Togo border
Introduction
There
are about 90 recorded species of Papilionidae in Africa,
of which 60 are placed in Papilio - a huge genus comprising
of 210 species worldwide.
Among the African species there
are several
untailed, white-banded species that have underside patterns
similar to nobicea, but the latter can be
distinguished by virtue of the white patch at the end of the forewing cell,
which is absent in the other species.
Papilio
nobicea is endemic to the Volta region of Ghana, and the hills on the
Ghana / Togo border.
Habitats
This is a hill-forest species. Although still relatively common, it is under
increasing threat due to habitat destruction, particularly at Wli Falls where
the forest is being cut down at a frightening rate.
Lifecycle
The
larval foodplants of nobicea are not recorded but
Piper ( Piperaceae ) is a likely candidate, as it
is used in Ghana by the very similar and closely related species
Papilio zenobia.
Adult behaviour
Males commonly settle at damp patches
on forest trails to imbibe mineralised
moisture.
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