Great Mormon - Female 260509

Papilio memnon agenor

Details
Family : Papilionidae
Subfamily : Papilioninae
Genus : Papilio
Common Name : Great Mormon, 美凤蝶

Description
The male upperside is black dusted with blue. On the underside, the hindwing has a red tornal patch and both wing bases are red.

Habitat & Habits
The Great Mormon is an interesting butterfly in that it has many different female forms. This large "Swallowtail" feeds on Citrus, in particular, the Pomelo. It is fairly common in Singapore, and can usually be found along jungle paths and feeding on flowering plants.

The female forms esperi, butlerianus, agenor and very rarely, ityla are found in Singapore. The form butlerianus was recently spotted on the island of Pulau Ubin, one of Singapore's offshore islands. This form has not be seen on the main island in recent years.

Early Stages
The caterpillar resembles that of the Lime Butterfly, but grows to a much larger size. The pupa is suspended with a girdle as in most Papilionidae pupae.