Papilio dardanus

Papilio dardanus
Dorsal view
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Papilionidae
Genus:	Papilio
Species:	P. dardanus
Binomial name
Papilio dardanus Brown, 1776
Subspecies
See text
Synonyms
List Papilio merope Cramer, 1777 Papilio brutus Fabricius, 1781 Papilio hippocoon Fabricius, 1793 Papilio westermannii Boisduval, 1836 Papilio trophonius Westwood, 1842 Papilio dionysos Doubleday, 1846 Papilio dardanus ab. niobe Aurivillius, 1899 Papilio dardanus ab. nioboides Aurivillius, 1899 Papilio dardanus heimsi Suffert, 1904 Papilio dardanus benio Suffert, 1904 Papilio dardanus f. trophonissa Aurivillius, 1907 Papilio dardanus polytrophus f. alluaudi Boullet & Le Cerf, 1912 Papilio f. latemarginatus Schultze, 1913 Papilio dardanus f. sirius Reuss, 1921 Papilio dardanus ab. crocotus Poulton, 1923 Papilio dardanus f. ceneispila Le Cerf, 1924 Papilio dardanus f. fagerskioldi Bryk, 1928 Papilio dardanus dardanus ab. punctata Dufrane, 1933 Papilio dardanus dardanus ab. divisa Dufrane, 1933 Papilio dardanus dardanus ab. bipunctata Dufrane, 1933 Papilio dardanus dardanus ab. paradoxa Dufrane, 1946 Papilio dardanus dardanus f. completa Dufrane, 1946 Papilio dardanus dardanus f. subpunctata Dufrane, 1946 Papilio dardanus dardanus f. dawanti Dufrane, 1946 Papilio dardanus dardanus f. impunctata Dufrane, 1946 Papilio dardanus dardanus f. jottrandi Dufrane, 1946 Papilio dardanus dardanus f. extrema Dufrane, 1946 Papilio dardanus f. semimelas Basquin & Turlin, 1986 Papilio dardanus ab. obscura McLeod & McLeod, 2004 Papilio antinorii Oberthür, 1883 Papilio antinorii ab. niavioides Kheil, 1890 Papilio antinorii ab. ruspinae Kheil, 1890 Papilio dardanus antinorii var. niavina Haase, 1891 Papilio dardanus antinorii var. alticola Boullet & Le Cerf, 1912 Papilio dardanus hodsoni Poulton, 1926 Papilio dardanus hodsoni f. weinholti Poulton, 1927 Papilio dardanus f. zaoditou Ungemach, 1932 Papilio dardanus antinorii f. alameitu Gabriel, 1949 Papilio dardanus f. conjunctiflava Stoneham, 1951 Papilio dardanus antinorii ab. seriata Storace, 1963 Papilio dardanus antinorii morph immaculata Mollet, 1975 Papilio dardanus antinorii morph extensinigra Mollet, 1975 Papilio dardanus antinorii morph obsoleta Mollet, 1975 Papilio dardanus antinorii morph ornata Mollet, 1975 Papilio dardanus antinorii morph rufomaculata Mollet, 1975 Papilio dardanus antinorii morph aurantiaca Mollet, 1975 Papilio dardanus antinorii morph aperta Mollet, 1975 Papilio dardanus antinorii morph depuncta Mollet, 1975 Papilio dardanus antinorii morph obscura Mollet, 1975 Papilio dardanus antinorii morph parvicaudata Mollet, 1975 Papilio dardanus antinorii morph cenaeoides Mollet, 1975 Papilio dardanus antinorii morph streckerioides Mollet, 1975 Papilio dardanus antinorii morph lambornieoides Mollet, 1975 Papilio dardanus antinorii morph niobeoides Mollet, 1975 Papilio dardanus antinorii morph salaamioides Mollet, 1975 Papilio cenea Stoll, 1790 Danais rechila Godart, 1819 Papilio cephonius Hopffer, 1866 Papilio merpoe tibullus var. hippocoonides Haase, 1891 Papilio cenea acene Suffert, 1904 Papilio dardanus f. leighi Poulton, 1912 Papilio dardanus cenea f. radiata Reuss, 1921 Papilio dardanus cenea f. natalica Le Cerf, 1924 Papilio dardanus cenea f. hypolimnides Le Cerf, 1924 Papilio dardanus cenea f. extensiflava Le Cerf, 1924 Papilio dardanus cenea f. sylvicola van Son, 1949 Papilio dardanus cenea f. neocenea Stoneham, 1951 Papilio dardanus cenea f. nigricans Storace, 1955 Papilio dardanus cenea f. transiens Storace, 1955 Papilio dardanus cenea f. aikeni van Son, 1956 Papilio dardanus cenea f. infuscata van Son, 1956 Papilio dardanus antinorii f. vaccaroi Storace, 1947 Papilio dardanus antinorii f. protoniavioides Storace, 1962 Papilio dardanus figinii f. protomima Storace, 1962 Papilio humbloti Oberthür, 1888 Papilio meriones Felder & Felder, 1865 Papilio dardanus-meriones f. palaeotypus Le Cerf, 1924 Papilio merope f. planemoides Trimen, 1904 Papilio dardanus f. dionysoides Aurivillius, 1907 Papilio dardanus f. pemtolipus Aurivillius, 1907 Papilio dardanus f. mixtus Aurivillius, 1907 Papilio dardanus f. acenides Le Cerf, 1924 Papilio dardanus f. swynnertoni Poulton, 1929 Papilio dardanus f. carpenteri Poulton, 1929 Papilio dardanus f. xanthocaudatus Stoneham, 1932 Papilio dardanus f. hippocoonatus Stoneham, 1933 Papilio dardanus f. dominicanoides Stoneham, 1933 Papilio dardanus f. planematus Stoneham, 1934 Papilio dardanus f. epiplanemoides Stoneham, 1934 Papilio dardanus xanthocaudatus f. briani Stoneham, 1944 Papilio dardanus ochracea Carpenter, 1948 Papilio dardanus cenea ochracea f. ochracea Poulton, 1924 Papilio dardanus ochracea f. atavica Storace, 1955 Papilio nandina Rothschild & Jordan, 1901 Papilio dardanus tibullus f. dorippoides Trimen, 1909 Papilio dardanus f. speciosa Le Cerf, 1912 Papilio dardanus f. jeanneli Le Cerf, 1912 Papilio dardanus var. polytrophus f. punctimargo Le Cerf, 1912 Papilio dardanus polytrophus f. hippocooninus Reuss, 1921 Papilio dardanus polytrophus f. albescens Reuss, 1921 Papilio dardanus polytrophus f. nigrescens Reuss, 1921 Papilio dardanus polytrophus f. acenoides Reuss, 1921 Papilio dardanus polytrophus f. trophonoides Reuss, 1921 Papilio dardanus polytrophus f. mixtoides Reuss, 1921 Papilio dardanus var. polytrophus f. protocenea Bryk & Peebles, 1932 Papilio dardanus var. polytrophus f. astarte Bryk & Peebles, 1932 Papilio dardanus f. nairobianus Stoneham, 1932 Papilio dardanus f. poultoni Ford, 1936 Papilio dardanus nairobianus f. akechia Stoneham, 1951 Papilio dardanus nairobianus f. neria Stoneham, 1951 Papilio dardanus f. millari Stoneham, 1951 Papilio dardanus f. babingtonia Stoneham, 1951 Papilio dardanus nairobianus f. akechiana Stoneham, 1951 Papilio dardanus nairobianus f. neriana Stoneham, 1951 Papilio dardanus f. harmonia Stoneham, 1951 Papilio dardanus f. ariadne Stoneham, 1951 Papilio sulfurea Palisot de Beauvois, 1806 Papilio dardanus storacei Gauthier, 1984 Papilio dardanus sulphureus Bernardi, Pierre & Nguyen, 1985 Papilio tibullus Kirby, 1880 Papilio cenea maculatus Suffert, 1904 Papilio cenea discopunctatus Suffert, 1904 Papilio cenea salaami Suffert, 1904 Papilio boosi Suffert, 1904 Papilio dardanus f. trimeni Poulton, 1906 Papilio dardanus var. tibullus ab. gomia Strand, 1911 Papilio dardanus tibullus f. lamborni Poulton, 1918 Papilio dardanus f. mombasicus Stoneham, 1951 Papilio dardanus f. melanoleuca Stoneham, 1951

See text

Papilio dardanus, the African swallowtail, mocker swallowtail or flying handkerchief, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae (the swallowtails). The species is broadly distributed throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. The British entomologist E. B. Poulton described it as "the most interesting butterfly in the world".

Molecular studies have provided evidence that this species' closest relative is Papilio phorcas, with Papilio constantinus being the next closest (see images below). It is a member of the Papilio genus of which Papilio appalachiensis and Papilio xuthus are also members.

Papilio dardanus is the nominal member of the dardanus species group. The members of the clade are:

Listed alphabetically:

Afrotropic ecozone

The species shows polymorphism in wing appearance, though this is limited to females, which are often given as an example of Batesian mimicry in insects. This female-limited mimicry was first described in 1869 by Roland Trimen. Males have a more or less uniform appearance throughout the species' range, but females come in at least 14 varieties or morphs.

Some female morphs share a very similar pattern of colouration with various species of distasteful butterfly (e.g. from the Danainae, a subfamily of nymphalids), while others have been found that mimic male appearance (andromorphs). The persistence of these various morphs or different types of females may be explained by frequency dependent selection. Cook et al. suggest that Batesian mimics gain a fitness advantage by avoiding predators, but suffer harassment from males (see sexual conflict), whereas andromorphs (male mimics) are vulnerable to predation but are not harassed by male mating attempts.

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