Papilio rex
Encyclopedia
The Regal Swallowtail or King Papilio (Papilio rex) is a butterfly
of the Papilionidae family. It is found in Africa
.
The Kenyan forms mimic Tirumala formosa.
The larvae feed on Teclea tricocarpa, Teclea stuhlmanni, Calodendrum
, Citrus
, Clausena
, Fagara and Toddalia
species.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
of the Papilionidae family. It is found in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
The Kenyan forms mimic Tirumala formosa.
The larvae feed on Teclea tricocarpa, Teclea stuhlmanni, Calodendrum
Calodendrum
Calodendrum is a genus of medium-sized evergreen trees comprising two species from Africa. Calodendrum capense is a well known tree that is widely cultivated, while Calodendrum eickii is a rare forest tree from Tanzania. The botanical name comes from Greek, kalos means beautiful and dendrum means...
, Citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
, Clausena
Clausena
Clausena is a genus of evergreen plant in the subfamily Aurantioideae within the family Rutaceae, native to Asia and Australia. It was first defined by N.L. Birman in 1768. The type species is Clausena excavata....
, Fagara and Toddalia
Toddalia
Toddalia is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the citrus family containing the single species Toddalia asiatica, which is known by the English common name orange climber. In Afrikaans it is called ranklemoentjie, and in Venda, gwambadzi. It is native to many countries in Africa and Asia. It...
species.
Subspecies
- Papilio rex rex (Kenya (east of the Rift Valley), north-eastern Tanzania, central Tanzania)
- Papilio rex mimeticus Rothschild, 1897 (Congo Republic, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, north-western Tanzania, western Kenya)
- Papilio rex franciscae Carpenter, 1928 (southern Sudan, south-western Ethiopia)
- Papilio rex alinderi Bryk, 1928 (Kenya (highlands west of the Rift Valley))
- Papilio rex schultzei Aurivillius, 1904 (eastern Nigeria, highlands of Cameroon)
- Papilio rex abyssinicana Vane-Wright, 1995 (highlands of south-eastern Ethiopia)
- Papilio rex regulana Vane-Wright, 1995 (Kenya (highlands east of the Rift Valley))