Butterflies of
Thailand, Malaysia &
Borneo
Common Rose
Atrophaneura
aristolochiae
FABRICIUS, 1775
Family -
PAPILIONIDAE
subfamily -
PAPILIONINAE
Tribe -
Atrophaneura aristolochiae
Bangkok, Thailand
© Fiona Le maitre
Introduction
The subfamily Papilioninae comprises of
about 550 species worldwide. It is divided into 4 tribes - Leptocircini ( Jays
), Papilionini ( Swallowtails ), Teinopalpini ( Kaiser-i-Hinds ), and Troidini.
The Troidini includes the
Parides Cattlehearts of South America, the
Ornithoptera Paradise Birdwings of New Guinea, and
the Troides
and Trogonoptera Birdwings of tropical Asia, and Atrophaneura.
The various members of the
genus Atrophaneura
are known as Windmills, Batwings,
Club-tails and Roses.
Together they total about 45 species.
They
have elongated black forewings which are thinly scaled and translucent around
the edges of the veins. In most species the hindwings have spatulate tails and
are marked with a white central patch and prominent red submarginal spots. Most
also have red markings on the head, thorax and abdomen.
Atrophaneura are unpalateable to birds, and are mimicked in appearance by
several edible species. Papilio polytes e.g.
produces several different female forms, including romulus
f. theseus which is a superb mimic of
Atrophaneura aristolochiae. Insectivorous birds are unable to distinguish between mimic and model, and having had the unpleasant
experience of tasting aristolochiae will reject the almost identical but perfectly edible
polytes. For human observers distinguishing
between the two species is easy though because polytes
has an all-black head and body.
Atrophaneura aristolochiae is found across tropical Asia from India and
Sri Lanka to China, Taiwan and the Philippines. It's range continues south
through the Malay peninsula to Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi, Java and Bali.
Habitats
This very common species can be found in a wide variety of
habitats including rainforests, beach hinterlands, parks and gardens.
Lifecycle
The larval foodplants are Aristolochia and
Thottea ( Aristolochiaceae ).
Adult behaviour
Both sexes roam widely, fluttering and gliding gracefully but
quite rapidly, a metre or so above the ground. The nectar avidly at wild and
cultivated flowers, constantly fluttering their wings to maintain their position
as they hover in front of them.
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