14 PAPILIO. By Dr. A. Seitz. 



Subgenus: Cosmodesmus Haase, Kite-Swallowtails. 



Slightly built, graceful insects, of skilled flight. Forewing usually pointed; hindwing sometimes long-tailed, 

 sometimes rounded, the abdominal margin being curved upwards, the male bearing as a rule in this fold a scent- 

 organ which consists of modified scales and long bristle-like hairs. There is usually a distinct tuft of hair-scales 

 on the frons. The caterpillars are somewhat hump-backed, strongly tapering backwards, often ending in two points ; 

 sometimes also the 3. and 5. segments bearing dorsally on each side a small thorn-like tubercle. They feed especially 

 on Anonaceae. Pupa rather stout, the caputal tubercles short, often rudimentary, but the thorax hump-backed, the 

 process being usually long and pointed. — The butterflies are quick and wary insects. They visit flowers of various 

 kinds, and the males settle often in large numbers at puddles on roads. These insects inhabit all faunistic regions, 

 occuring however only in lower latitudes, not being found in the Nord-West (England) and North-East (Amurland) 

 of the Palaearctic Region. 



P. podalirius L. (7cd). Wings pale yellow; a number of black bands running parallel to the distal 

 podaliriiis. margin, some being abbreviated; hindwing long-tailed. — The first-described form is podalirius L. (7c), in 

 which the abdomen bears a broad black dorsal stripe. In southern latitudes, from about the 50. degree 

 soutiiward, there occurs a second generation in which the abdomen is pale yellow, being black at the base and 

 bearing sometimes also a narrow black dorsal line. In contradistinction to the spring-form, for which alone 

 zanclaeus. the name P. pofhilirius L. is nowadays employed, the summer-form is usually known as ab. zanclaeus ZeU., 

 although this name apitlies really only to South European si)ecimens, which aie distinguished from Central 

 European individuals, besides the white abdomen, by more pointed and more transparent wings and thinner 

 miegi. tail. — ab. miegi Miec/, the second brood from the Upper Garonne, is intermediate betAveen podalirius from 

 Germany and France and fcisthmiidi from Spain; in some specimens the anal spot shows a tendency towards 

 feisthameli. becoming smaller. — feistliameli Dup. is the local form inhabiting Spain and North Africa: this race is 

 more sparsely scaled, the ground-colour is jialer, the black bands are broader, and the orange anal spot is 

 of even width; the spring-brood of this Iberian and Mauretanian Kite-Swallowtail (7d) comes closer to 

 latteri. Central European podalirius than does the summer-brood; the latter is ab. latteri Anst. (7d)*), its forewing 

 is very ])ointed and narrow, the ground-colour being whitish, the black bands broad and sharply marked, 

 smyrnensis. and the tail very long. - — smymensis Eimcr is the summer-form from Asia Minor, somewhat resembling 

 latteri, but bearing narrower black bands; the spring-form from Asia Minor is hardly different from Central 

 podalirinns. European specimens. — podalirinus Oherth. (7d), from Tibet, occuiring also in Se-tchuen, though as a 

 virgatus. rarity, has not only bioad bands, but the ground-colour is dusted over with black. — virgatus Butl. (7d) 

 is a small summer- form from Damascus, with nariow marginal band and on the hindwing a faint discal 

 band, the reddish yellow anal spot not being laiger than in Central European examples; this form is hardly 

 imdecim- worth a separate name. — Likewise, ab. undecimlineatus Eimer (7c) does not deserve a name of its 

 lineatus. own; it is an accidental aberration in which mie of the bands is divided into two bands by its centre as- 

 suming the pale tint of the ground-colour, a rudimentary shadow appearing often distally of this double 

 sdndtzi. band. — A partially melanotic specimen has been described by Bathke as ab. sctiultzi. — P. liodalirius ex- 

 tends from France and Portugal throughout Europe, except the northern districts, and Western and Central 

 Asia, occurring eastwards as far as the Altai and West China. In Africa it is found far southward in the oases 

 of tiie Sahara, where podalirius is even one of the commonest butterflies. — Lar\a green, smooth, without 

 tentacles, short, anteriorly incrassate; in June and in the autumn, especially on Amygdalaceae. Pupa 

 reddish ochreous, more rarely transjiarent -green, the thoracical tubercle being acute. — The butterfly, 

 which has an elegant, sailing flight, is fond of mountainous localities, and visits in the spring and summer 

 flowers and the blossoms of trees and shrubs, for instance Lilac. The o^cf meet the ?? at the time of pair- 

 ing on the highest summits of the hills. Ajjart from the districts near the northern and eastern boundary 

 of its area, the species is always common where it occurs at all, but is local, api)arently being completely 

 absent frorri large districts. In many places in German}- a decrease in the numbers of this butterfly is be- 

 coming more and more evident in consecpience of the gradual destiuction of the blackthorn. 



alebion. P« alebion Grail (8 a). This insect is similar to podalirius, but the cell of the forewing is traversed 



by one more band, and the band situated on the cross-veins is not continued to the hind angle as in podal- 

 irius. On the hindwing the black portion of the anal ocellus is reduced to a minute line, while the yellow 



mariesi. colour forms a large spot. Rare; in Eastern China. — ab. mariesi Butl. is based on a specimen in which 

 the black bands are strongly narrowed; from Kiu-Kiang. 



tamerlanus. P- tamerlanus Oherth. (= alebion Kimer , parus Nicer.) (8 a) reminds one likewise of podalirius. 



The black band at the apex of the cell of the forewing reaches only to the median vein, not extending 

 beyond it to the hind angle, being exactly' as in alebion ; but in contradistinction to this insect the orange 

 anal spot on the hindwing of tamerlamt.s is reduced to two small obscure dots. At the LTpjier Yang-tse- 

 kiang, probably also in Tibet, extremely common. 



*) Since podalirius flies in North Africa almost throughout the warm season , the various broods overlap ; feisthameli 

 occurs there from April till the end of .June, and latteri from early June till August. For instance, I obtained latteri already 

 on the HO. May at Philippeville (province of Conslantine) and found feisthameli still in June at Lambessa, which is situated at 

 a higher elevation. 



