Papilio rex
Papilio rex, the regal swallowtail or king papilio, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Africa.
The Kenyan forms mimic Tirumala formosa, the forest monarch butterfly.
The larvae feed on Teclea tricocarpa, Teclea stuhlmanni, Calodendrum, Citrus, Clausena, Fagara and Toddalia species.Description
The ground colour is black. There are numerous white markings and the base of the forewing is orange brown.Taxonomy
Papilio rex is a member of the dardanus species group. The members of the clade are:
- Papilio dardanus Brown, 1776
- Papilio constantinus Ward, 1871
- Papilio delalandei Godart,
- Papilio phorcas Cramer,
- Papilio rex Oberthür, 1886
Subspecies
- P. r. rex
- P. r. mimeticus Rothschild, 1897
- P. r. franciscae Carpenter, 1928
- P. r. alinderi Bryk, 1928
- P. r. schultzei Aurivillius, 1904
- P. r. abyssinicana Vane-Wright, 1995
- P. r. regulana Vane-Wright, 1995
