About Pachliopta pandiyana (Moore, 1881)
Pachliopta pandiyana (Moore, 1881) was previously classified as a race of Pachliopta jophon, a species found in Sri Lanka. While it is closely related to Pachliopta jophon, it consistently differs in wing pattern. The white coloration on its forewings is far more extensive, particularly in the apical region, and also has more extensive shading from black scales. The internervular black streaks between the median nervures (veins 4-6) are much longer, and the white linear markings inside the cell extend all the way to the discocellular veinlets. On the hindwing, the last discal white spot usually reaches the submedian nervure (vein 1); the anterior white spot is very large in males, and is small, divided into two separate spots, or completely absent in females. This quotation is from Rothschild, as referenced in Bingham. This butterfly is found in southern India. It does not often associate with the common rose, a species it resembles. In the western slopes of the Nilgiris and other areas of the Western Ghats, the Malabar rose (Pachliopta pandiyana) completely displaces this more abundant common rose butterfly. Pachliopta pandiyana is restricted to the wet jungles of southern India and the Western Ghats, at elevations between 300 and 910 meters (1,000 and 3,000 feet). It appears to be single-brooded, and is most common during September and October. The larval food plant of Pachliopta pandiyana is Thottea siliquosa, a member of the Aristolochiaceae family.
