Papilio janaka

The Tailed Redbreast (Papilio janaka) is a well-marked swallowtail butterfly found in India.

Tailed Redbreast
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Papilionidae
Genus:	Papilio
Species:	P. janaka
Binomial name
Papilio janaka Moore & Horsfield, 1857

Description

The Tailed Redbreast closely resembles Papilio bootes but differs as follows:

• Male upperside; ground colour a duller more greyish-black, the outer half of the hindwing darker; the elongate discal white series of spots extended into interspace 2, sometimes also into interspace 5; beyond these the dark red markings are as in P. bootes, but there is in addition a postdiscal series of red lunules, that at the tornal angle coalesces with the admarginal spot.
• Underside; similar to that of P. bootes, but with the additional white spots as on the upperside, these however in many specimens are much irrorated with red scales; the red at the base of the wings are more extended than in P. bootes and continue along the dorsal margin of the hindwing in a long streak.
• Female; similar to the male, but the ground colour on the upperside paler, a spot of red at the base of the forewing; the postdiscal markings on the hindwing white, only tinged with red. Underside is similar to the upperside; the red at the base of the wings continues along the dorsal margin as in the male.[1]

Status

Not known to be threatened.[2]

References

1. Bingham, C.T. (1905). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma Butterflies. 1 (1st ed.). London: Taylor and Francis, Ltd.
2. Collins, N. Mark; Morris, Michael G. (1985). Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World: The IUCN Red Data Book. Gland & Cambridge: IUCN. ISBN 978-2-88032-603-6 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.