About Graphium eurypylus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Graphium eurypylus (Linnaeus, 1758) has a wingspan of approximately 7 to 8 centimetres (2.8–3.1 in). The upperside of its wings is primarily black, with a row of yellowish or greenish spots along the edges. A large yellowish or greenish area sits in the middle of the forewings. The underside of the wings shares a similar pattern to the upperside, but its base colour is brownish, and the spots are paler or whitish; the hindwings also have a small number of red spots. For the subspecies G. e. jason found in South India and Sri Lanka, the description below applies to both males and females. The upperside is black. On the forewing, there are three slender, oblique, short pale green streaks in the basal half of the cell, and two small, irregular spots of the same colour near the cell's apex. A discal band is made up of pale green spots that get gradually smaller toward the anterior end; the spot in interspace 5 is the smallest, while the two spots in the interspaces above it are slightly larger. A spot at the base of interspace 7 and a full, sinuous subterminal row of spots are also the same pale green colour. On the hindwing, a transverse band extends posteriorly as far as interspace 2, and forms a continuation of the forewing's discal band. The upper section of this band is white, and the lower section is pale green. This band is followed by a sinuous subterminal row of small pale green spots matching those on the forewing. The underside is brownish-fulvous black; its markings match those on the upperside, but are larger, have diffuse edges, and are all silvery white with a faint pale green tint. In addition, the hindwing has a white basal streak that extends halfway down the dorsal margin. It also has another shorter white subbasal streak that runs from the costa to the subcostal vein, and merges with the white of the discal band in the cell. The ground colour streak between this subbasal streak and the discal band is jet black, and is interrupted by a crimson spot where it crosses vein 8. Finally, there are quadrate black spots near the apex of the cell and at the bases of interspaces 1, 2, and 3, all of which are bordered on the outer side by crimson. The antennae, head, thorax, and abdomen are black; on the underside, the palpi, thorax, and abdomen have white markings, and the abdomen has dull white lateral lines. In males, the inner abdominal fold is grey, with a fringe of white hairs. Subspecies G. e. axion, Felder, which is found in the Malayan region and the Himalayas, differs from G. e. jason in the following ways: the markings that make up the discal band are much broader; all pale green and white spots and markings are noticeably larger, especially in spring broods. On the underside of the hindwing, the crimson spots are more prominent, and a crimson line runs along the posterior section of the dorsal margin. In most specimens, the short, narrow subbasal white band that runs from the costa to the subcostal vein does not merge with the white of the discal band where it crosses the cell. This species occurs in the Australasian realm and the Indomalayan realm, including Northeast India, Southeast Asia, and Australia.
