Naming
"Papilio helenus" is the nominate member of the "helenus" species-group. The members of this clade are:⤷ "Papilio helenus" Linnaeus, 1758
⤷ "Papilio iswara" White, 1842
⤷ "Papilio iswaroides" Fruhstorfer, 1898
⤷ "Papilio nephelus" Boisduval, 1836
⤷ "Papilio nubilus" Staudinger, 1895
⤷ "Papilio sataspes" C. & R. Felder, 1865
There are up to thirteen different subspecies, two of which occur in India:
⤷ "P. helenus daksha" Moore. South India. Not Rare.
⤷ "P. helenus helenus" Linnaeus. Mussoorie to Myanmar. Common
and one in Taiwan :
⤷ "P. helenus fortunius" Fruhstorfer, 1908.
Status
"Papilio helenus" is generally common and not threatened. It is commonly found from Kerala to Maharashtra, but rare in Gujarat. It is also found in abundance in North East India, and very commonly sighted in Assam.
Behavior
Flies throughout the year in South India.Like any other butterflies, it goes through a certain life cycle.
Reproduction
The 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 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 flecks. The egg hatches in 4–7 days.
References:
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