Graphium sarpedon

Graphium sarpedon(Graphium sarpedon)

Phylum —arthropoda
Class —insecta
Order — lepidoptera
Family —papilionidae

Genus –graphium

Appearance

The younger caterpillars are brown with branched outgrowths. The older caterpillar is of a dull green color, mottled with yellow and dark green spots, with a thin cream stripe on the side. Each of the thorax segments has a pair of short black spines. There is also a pair of very short white spines on the anal segment.

The wingspan of the butterflies is 55-75 mm. The wings are black above and brown below, with large turquoise spots in the middle of both the forewings and hindwings. The underside of the wings also has turquoise spots, and there are several red spots on the hind wings.

Habitat

The butterfly is found in South and Southeast Asia, as well as in Australia.

Behavior

It demonstrates daily activity. The flight is fast and direct.The males are known for their habit of feeding by the edges of puddles, often at the roadside. Occasionally, as many as eight will be seen at the same puddle. They have also been known to be attracted to animal droppings, carcasses and rotting insects.

Like other caterpillars of this family, the caterpillar of this butterfly has an osmetrium – a gland behind the head that extends in danger and looks like two long orange-red "horns".

Diet

The larvae feed primarily on the leaves of trees in the families Lauraceae, Myrtaceae, Sapotaceae, and Rutaceae. When the caterpillar is not feeding, it sits on the upper side of the leaf near the midrib.

Adult butterflies feed on nectar.

Reproduction

For their reproduction you need a terrarium with a size of 50 x 50 x 70 cm. Females lay eggs one at a time on the young leaves of the forage plant.The eggs are creamy-white, globular. It is better to keep the caterpillars in containers with a mesh lid of 6-8 pieces. In the container, you need to place a forage plant.The temperature is 23-25 ^oC at the humidity of65-75 %. The pupa is pale green with lateral and dorsal stripes that converge at the tip of the thoracic horn.

In captivity

The mesh terrarium with a size of 50 × 50 × 70 mm is suitable for keeping butterflies. Room temperature is necessary. Daylight time is 12 hours. You can feed the butterflies with honey syrup diluted with boiled water in a ratio of 1: 10.