Papilio polytes
| Common Mormon | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Mating pair with female in form stichius | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Papilionidae |
| Genus: | Papilio |
| Species: | P. polytes |
| Binomial name | |
|
Papilio polytes Linnaeus, 1758 |
|
| Subspecies | |
|
many, see text |
|
many, see text
Papilio polytes, the common Mormon, is a common species of swallowtail butterfly widely distributed across Asia.
This butterfly is known for the mimicry displayed by the numerous forms of its females which mimic inedible red-bodied swallowtails, such as the common rose and the crimson rose.
The common name is an allusion to the polygamy formerly practiced by members of the Mormon sect according to Harish Gaonkar, of the Natural History Museum in London:
... the origins of giving common English names to organisms, particularly butterflies for tropical species started in India around the mid 19th century ... The naming of Mormons evolved slowly. I think the first to get such a name was the Common Mormon (Papilio polytes), because it had three different females, a fact that could only have been observed in the field, and this they did in India. The name obviously reflected the ... Mormon sect in America, which as we know, practiced polygamy.
The scientific name is constructed from the Latin word for butterfly, papilio, and the Greek word for many, poly.
Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Myanmar, Thailand, southern and western China (including Hainan and Guangdong provinces), Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan (Ryukyu Islands), Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Andamans, Nicobars, Eastern and Peninsular Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia (except Moluccas and Irian Jaya), Philippines, and Northern Marianas (Saipan).
...
Wikipedia