Imperial Swallowtail
We are delighted that Dr Asta Nobis has taken over the sponsorship of the Imperial Swallowtail (Papilio lormieri).
Imperial Swallowtails can be easily recognised by their striking wing markings and shape: The light-coloured central band, which is continuous on the hind wings and breaks up into oval spots on the forewings, the red-blue-black eyespots on the edges of the hind wings and the long tail appendages of the hind wings with their typical lateral spots can be seen in both males and females of this species from the swallowtail family (Papilionidae).
The wingspan of fully-grown individuals is 10-11 cm. This pretty butterfly species inhabits the African rainforests west of Nigeria and Cameroon as far east as Kenya and south-west to Angola.