Common Mormon

Description:

Papilionidae; Papilioninae; Papilionini; Menelaides polytes ledebouria Eschscholtz 1821. My photos show a male (black with white markings and no tails) and a female which is much more colourful (and has tails). In comparison with specimens displayed by Philippine Lepidoptera, the female Common Mormon in my photos is in "form praxilla". All of the female Common Mormons shown by PhiLep are tagged with "forms". Those mentioned (in addition to praxilla) are: zephyria, suffusus. rizal, praxilla, alyros and horsfieldi. These forms appear to be variations in wing shape and colour markings which occur in the females. The males only have one morph. which is described in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio_po...

Habitat:

This pair of Common Mormons were spotted in our front yard fluttering around some pot plants in some kind of crazy courtship dance.