About Protographium philolaus (Boisduval, 1836)
Protographium philolaus (Boisduval, 1836), also referred to by the synonym Eurytides philolaus, is commonly known as the dark zebra swallowtail or dark kite-swallowtail. This species is a butterfly belonging to the family Papilionidae. Its geographic range extends from southern Texas in the United States to northern South America. The adult wingspan measures 90 to 95 millimeters.
Characteristic features of the species include a black antenna. The seventh pale green band on the forewing is only present as a single spot. The hindwing has two red spots on its posterior section. On the underside of the hindwing, the red line is edged with black on both sides, and is undulate along its anterior edge. In males, the scent-scales are short, broad, and irregular, and produce a number of filaments. Females of this species occur in two distinct forms. The first form, female form philolaus Boisd., is similar in appearance to the male, but has a paler underside. The second form, female form niger Eimer (also referenced as nigrescens Eimer and felicis Fruhst.), has black scaling across the pale green wing membrane bands, so the wings appear overall black with only faint traces of the original bands visible.
