Losaria rhodifer

Andaman Clubtail
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Genus: Losaria
Species: L. rhodifer
Binomial name
Losaria rhodifer
(Butler, 1876)[1]
Synonyms

Atrophaneura rhodifer

The Andaman clubtail (Losaria rhodifer), a rare species of the swallowtail family, Papilionidae, is native to India. The butterfly belongs to the genus Losaria, or the clubtails, as they are commonly known.[1]

Distribution

The butterfly is endemic and restricted to the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal.

Description

Male differs from Losaria coon as follows:[2]

Ground-colour a rich velvety-black, much darker than in doubledayi; on the fore wing the pale streaks extend only into the apex of the cell. On the hind wing the medial white markings are much shorter, the spots at base of interspaces 4 and 5 and generally the spot in interspace 7 absent; the subterminal and terminal vermilion spots are much larger, and the tail is vermilion on its apical spatulate portion. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen as in doubledayi, but the head entirely vermilion-red. Female closely resembles the male, fore wing broader, red markings on hind wing more crimson than vermilion-red, often dull and irrorated slightly with black scales; medial white markings more extensive, the white mark in interspace 1 extends well below vein 1.

Status

It has been described as not rare but much work needs to be done to clarify its exact status and distribution. It is not listed as threatened.[3]

Taxonomy

There are no subspecies.

See also

Cited references

  1. 1 2 Häuser, Christoph L.; de Jong, Rienk; Lamas, Gerardo; Robbins, Robert K.; Smith, Campbell; Vane-Wright, Richard I. (28 July 2005). "Papilionidae – revised GloBIS/GART species checklist (2nd draft)". Entomological Data Information System. Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Germany. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  2. ↑ Bingham, C. T. (1907). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Butterflies (Volume 2). London: Taylor & Francis. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  3. ↑ Collins, N.M. & Morris, M.G. (1985) Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World. IUCN. ISBN 2-88032-603-6

References


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