<> Graphium sarpedon (Linnaeus, 1758) <>

the Common Bluebottle ผีเสื้อสะพายฟ้า

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Photo taken at Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand 460m a.s.l.

Graphium sarpedon is common and widespread throughout the region and beyond. It is even found in Australia where it is known as the Blue Triangle. It has a swift and powerful flight, typically around the tree tops. There is no dimorphism and both sexes are visually similar. Males are known to sometimes congregate in small groups to puddle at the edge of streams or damp patches but are more often encountered singly or in pairs.

The female is not often seen except when she is searching for plants on which to lay her eggs. The species is multivoltine with several broods per annum. The adult female lays around 100 eggs in total on hosts mainly from the Lauraceae family of plants.

Synonyms: Papilio sarpedon, Papilio choredon, Papilio impar, Papilio protensor

Taxonomy: Animalia - Arthropoda - Insecta - Lepidoptera - Papilionidae - Papilioninae - Graphium - sarpedon

Regional subspecies: Graphium sarpedon colus (Philippines - Balabac and Palawan), G.sarpedon connectens (Taiwan), G.sarpedon luctatius (Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, S.China, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia), G.sarpedon pagus (Philippines), G.sarpedon sarpedon (S.China), G.sarpedon sirkari (NE India, Myanmar, S.China - Yunnan). There seems to be considerable confusion surrounding subspecies but the above is based on the work of Page & Treadaway in 2013.

Regional Distribution: India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines

Phnom Kulen, Siem Reap, Cambodia 400m a.s.l.

Habitat: Graphium sarpedon is found in evergreen forest, grassland, agricultural land, and urban areas. Often seen in the vicinity of streams at low to moderate elevations up to 2800m a.s.l.

Flight time: all year depending on location Wingspan: 60-70mm

Life History: egg 3 days instar 1 3 days instar 2 2-3 days instar 3 2-3 days instar 4 4 days instar 5 4-5 days pupa 10-11 days Total egg to adult 28-32 days
All times are approximate and can vary depending on the season and on the host used.

Larval Hosts: Cinnamomum burmanni, Cinnamomum camphora, Cinnamomum dubium, Cinnamomum iners, Cinnamomum macrocarpum, Cinnamomum micranthum, Cinnamomum osmophloeum, Cinnamomum ovalifolium, Cinnamomum parthenoxylon, Cinnamomum verum, Cryptocarya densiflora, Cryptocarya triplinervis, Laurus nobilis, Lindera glauca, Lindera lucida, Lindera praecox, Litsea cubeba, Litsea ferruginea, Litsea glutinosa, Litsea hypophaea, Litsea rotundifolia, Litsea salicifolia, Machilus glaucescens, Machilus japonicus, Machilus kurzii, Machilus odoratissimus, Machilus thunbergii, Machilus zuihoensis, Neolitsea aciculata, Neolitsea cassia, Neolitsea sericea, Neolitsea zeylanica, Persea americana, Phoebe formosana (Lauraceae), Annona reticulata, Miliusa tomentosa, Monoon longifolium (Annonaceae), Magnolia doltsopa (Magnoliaceae).
Actual host plant used depends upon location and availabilty of plant species.

Adult Food Sources: Nectar - Duranta erecta, Lantana camara, Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (Verbenaceae), Melastoma malabathricum (Melastomataceae), Cosmos bipinnatus, Ageratina adenophora, Austroeupatorium inulifolium, Bidens alba, Crassocephalum crepidioides, Crassocephalum rubens, Dahlia imperialis, Tagetes erecta, Zinnia elegans (Asteraceae), Ixora coccinea (Rubiaceae), Premna serratifolia (Lamiaceae), Varronia cylindristachya (Boraginaceae), Abutilon hirtum, Melochia umbellata (Malvaceae), Cestrum aurantiacum, Solanum mauritianum, Solanum torvum (Solanaceae), Hypericum mysurense (Hypericaceae), Rhododendron arboreum (Ericaceae), Cinnamomum verum, Machilus odoratissimus (Lauraceae), Acacia mearnsii (Mimosaceae), Rhodomyrtus tomentosa (Myrtaceae), Muntingia calabura (Muntingiaceae), Albizia lebbeck, Phanera championii (Fabaceae), Acer campbellii (Sapindaceae), Alnus nepalensis (Betulaceae), Dendrobium primulinum. Pleione hookeriana (Orchidaceae), Anodendron affine (Apocynaceae), Aralia decaisneana (Araliaceae), Sambucus javanica (Viburnaceae), Helixanthera cylindrica (Loranthaceae). Other - mud puddling, animal dung & urine, carrion.