Tri-Mountain National Scenic Area Headquarters

• Expert: Ah Shou
• Photographer: Ah Shou

If you find a papilionid with emerald green stripes on one of its wings, which is always busy flapping and flying while enjoying flowers in a mountainous area at medium or low altitude, most probably it is the so-called fighter of the papilionids, Graphium agamemnon. It never has a dull moment; even when collecting honey, it keeps flapping its wings ceaselessly, and the fast rhythm makes people nervous.

The adult butterfly spreads its wings about 6-7 cm; it is a medium-sized butterfly. Male’s and female’s stripes are the same. The front edge, central band, middle chamber, and subouter edge of the forewing surface are all orange, red, and green stripes; hind wing surface stripes and colors are the same as the forewing. However, the reflexed part of the hind wing of the male butterfly has the grayish yellow villous characteristic, but the female butterfly does not have this characteristic. Compared with most papilionids that have obvious tail-shaped protrusion on their hind wings, Graphium agamemnon has no obvious tail-shaped protrusion, so it is also called “short-tailed papilionid.”

To observe larvae of Graphium agamemnon, you need good eyesight to decipher its cryptic coloration; you may have the chance to find it on the leaves of host plants, such as Magnoliaceae magnolia flower, Michelia figo, Michelia formosana as well as Annonaceae artabotrys hexapetalus and Annona montana.