Papilio helenus 3157523 204210359 2008-04-08T13:37:03Z Jmgarg1 5000468 added an image {{Taxobox | name = Red Helen | image = Papilio_helenus.jpg | image_width = 200px | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Arthropod]]a | classis = [[Insect]]a | ordo = [[Lepidoptera]] | familia = [[Swallowtail Butterfly|Papilionidae]] | subfamilia = [[Papilioninae]] | genus = ''[[Papilio]]'' | species = '''''P. helenus''''' | binomial = ''Papilio helenus'' | binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758 }} The '''Red Helen''' ''Papilio helenus'' is a large [[Swallowtail Butterfly|swallowtail]] [[butterfly]] found in forests in southern [[India]] and parts of Southeast Asia. ==Description== [[Image:Black Butterfly with red.jpg|left|240px]] * A large black prominently tailed butterfly. It has a wingspan of 100 to 120 mm. * It has a prominent large yellow discal patch on its upper hindwings, which is characteristic of the species. * On the under hindwing it has a row of red submarginal lunules. ==Range== [[Sri Lanka]], southern and North-East [[India]],[[Nepal]], [[Bhutan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Myanmar]], [[Thailand]], [[Laos]], [[Kampuchea]], [[Vietnam]], southern [[China]] (including [[Hainan]], [[Guangdong]] province), southern [[Japan]], [[South Korea]], [[Ryukyu Islands]]. Peninsular and Eastern [[Malaysia]], [[Brunei]], [[Philippines]], and [[Indonesia]] ([[Sumatra]], [[Java (island)|Java]], [[Bangka]], [[Kalimantan]] and the [[Lesser Sunda Islands]] except [[Tanimbar]]). In India, along the [[Western Ghats]] from [[Kerala]] to [[Gujarat]], also [[Palni hills|Palnis]] and [[Shevaroys]]. In the north from [[Mussoorie]] eastwards, to North-East India and onto Myanmar. [[Image:Pandiyana_aristolochiae_polytes_helenus.png|thumb|300px|Similar species]] ==Status== Common and not threatened. Common from Kerala to Maharashtra, rare in Gujarat. ==Taxonomy== Up to thirteen different subspecies of which two occur in India :- * ''P. helenus daksha'' Moore. South India. Not Rare. * ''P. helenus helenus'' Linnaeus. Mussoorie to Myanmar. Common ==Habitat== The Red Helen is common in evergreen forests and tracts having heavy rainfall. Also visits gardens in urban areas. Found throughout the year in South India where it flies between 1000 and 7000 feet. In the North it flies up to 5000 feet only. ==Habits== [[Image:Red Helen (Papilio helenus) at Samsing, Duars, WB W IMG 6219.jpg|thumb|left| at [[Samsing]] in [[Darjeeling district]] of [[West Bengal]], [[India]]. ]] A very striking butterfly which immediately draws attention by the large white patch on the upper hindwing. When it rests, it draws back the forewings to hide this spot and becomes quite inconspicuous when this spot gets hidden. A powerful flier with a rapid but irregular path. It usually flies low. It often leaves the jungle to fly along valleys and across tea gardens. It is a frequent visitor to gardens and can be caught easily while hovering a flower or sipping from a damp spot. ==Life cycle== Flies throughout the year in South India. ===Eggs=== The [[Egg (biology)|egg]] is pale [[apricot]] yellow in colour when freshly deposited, spherical in shape and has a slightly roughened exterior which looks like the skin of an [[orange (fruit)|orange]] when seen through a [[microscope]]. The diameter of an egg is 1.2 mm. The eggs are deposited singly on the tips of very young [[leaves]] and [[shoots]] in shady parts of thick jungle. Before hatching, the eggs appear to be marked by chocolate coloured lines and [[wiktionary:fleck|fleck]]s. The egg hatches in 4-7 days. ===Caterpillar=== The freshly emerged larva is about 3 mm long with two yellow osmeteria (horn like processes) covered with [[setae]] on the first segment, a similar pair on the last segment and a nearly white smaller pair on the segment before the last. Each of the other segments bears, on the back, a pair of tufts of stiff hairs, each tuft arising from a small, yellowish conical process. The overall colour is brown, but there is a whitish [[saddle]]-like patch about the middle and the tail segments are also whitish in colour. As with other ''Papilio''s there is a branched horn on the [[osmeterium]] which the larva extrudes when irritated. This secretes an unpleasant smelling liquid which is believed to repel [[predators]] and [[parasites]]. After the first [[ecdysis|moult]] the [[caterpillar]] has the appearance of a shiny bird dropping. The larva is grass green in colour, mottled black and white and smoky grey. The osmeterium is flesh-coloured. The young larva lies along the midrib of the leaf. Later on, when full-grown, it lies on the centre of the upperside of the leaf, on a stem or a twig. The fifth [[instar]] larva is about 5 cm long. ===Pupa=== Pupa is usually green with a yellow saddle. Like many other papilionids, if it is formed in laboratory surroundings, against bark or brown surroundings, it develops variegations of brown, pink, black and grey and has no yellow saddle. [[Pupa]]tion takes place after the larval duration of 26-30 days. The total period from egg to butterfly during summer is 43-53 days. ==Food plants== The [[larva]]e of the species feed on plants of Family [[Rutaceae]] such as :- * Cultivated ''[[Citrus]]'' species such as orange, lime and pummelo. * ''[[Zanthoxylum rhetsa]]'', ''[[Zanthoxylum acanthopodium]]'' and ''[[Zanthoxylum nitidum]]''. * ''[[Glycosmis pentaphylla]]''. * ''[[Clausena heptaphylla]]'' <ref>Kunte, K. 2006. Additions to known larval host plants of Indian butterflies. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 103(1):119-120</ref> * ''[[Todalia asiatica]]''. * ''Philodendron'' spp. * ''Evodia'' spp. ==Gallery== <gallery> Image:Red Helen (Papilio helenus) at Samsing, Duars, WB W IMG 6210.jpg| at [[Samsing]] in [[Darjeeling district]] of [[West Bengal]], [[India]]. Image:Red Helen (Papilio helenus) at Samsing, Duars, WB W IMG 6210.jpg| at [[Samsing]] in [[Darjeeling district]] of [[West Bengal]], [[India]]. </gallery> ==References== {{Reflist}} [[Image:Papilio helenus bingham.jpg|thumb|Woodcut from [[Fauna of British India]].]] * Collins, N.M. & Morris, M.G. (1985) Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World. IUCN. ISBN 2-88032-603-6 * Evans, W.H. (1932) The Identification of Indian Butterflies. (2nd Ed), Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India * Gay, Thomas; Kehimkar, Isaac & Punetha, J.C.(1992) Common Butterflies of India. WWF-India and Oxford University Press, Mumbai, India. * Haribal, Meena (1994) Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and their Natural History. * Kunte, Krushnamegh (2005) Butterflies of Peninsular India. Universities Press. * Wynter-Blyth, M.A. (1957) Butterflies of the Indian Region, Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India. ==See also== {{commons}} *[[Papilionidae]] *[[List of butterflies of India]] *[[List of butterflies of India (Papilionidae)]] ==External links== * http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/hkjo/view/27/2700477.pdf [[Category:Papilio]] [[Category:Butterflies of India]] [[nl:Papilio helenus]] [[ja:モンキアゲハ]]