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Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Common Swordtail
Protographium
agesilaus
GUÉRIN-MÉNEVILLE & PERCHERON, 1835
Family -
PAPILIONIDAE
subfamily -
PAPILIONINAE
Tribe - LEPTOCIRCINI
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
Protographium agesilaus, Madre de Dios, Peru
Introduction
Butterflies in the genus Protographium
are characterised by having translucent whitish or yellowish
wings, marked with bands or stripes of black or dark brown. The
forewings are decidedly triangular in shape, and the hindwings
adorned with a single long sword-like tail. The bodies are
relatively short, and the antennal tips strongly recurved.
Protographium agesilaus
can easily be confused with other Swordtails, but can be
identified from the underside hindwings, on which
the red streak is on the basal side of the black streak in
agesilaus, but is on the outer side
of the black streak in all other
Protographium and Protesilaus
species.
P. agesilaus
occurs from Mexico to Bolivia.
Protographium agesilaus, Madre de Dios, Peru
Habitats
This species occurs in
lowland rainforests and pre-montane cloudforests at elevations from about
100-1800m.
Lifecycle
Very little is recorded.
The eggs are reportedly
laid singly on leaves at the top of trees ( Annonaceae ).
The caterpillar, if
similar to related species, is probably green, marbled with brownish or pink,
and with the thoracic segments enlarged. The chrysalis, again if similar to
related species, is likely to have a prominent projection from the thorax, and
will be attached vertically to a twig or branch by means of the cremaster and a
silken girdle.
Protographium agesilaus, Madre de Dios, Peru
Adult behaviour
Swordtails such as Protographium
agesilaus
are migratory in behaviour, following river courses as they
travel.
Males can often be seen gathered on sandbanks, filter-feeding on
dissolved minerals by continually pumping water though their
bodies. This species invariably congregates in small groups of up
to about 15 other Swordtails, either entirely of it's own species,
or more frequently with other Leptocercines such as
Eurytides dolicaon
and
Protesilaus protesilaus.
These groups are usually well separated from groups of Pierids or
Nymphalids feeding on the same sandbank. The entire group usually
face into the breeze.
Protographium agesilaus, Rio Pindayo, Peru
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