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Common Lime Butterfly Caterpillar from Lime Tree

Papilio demoleus

Description:

Caterpillar with fake eyes. :) A common and widespread Swallowtail butterfly. Common Lime Butterfly gets its name from its host plants which are usually citrus species such as the cultivated lime. Unlike most swallowtail butterflies it does not have a prominent tail.

Habitat:

Papilio demoleus is an aggressive and very common butterfly. It is perhaps the most widely distributed swallowtail in the world. The butterfly can be found in Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Iran, western and possibly eastern Afghanistan, and western Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India (including the Andamans), Nepal, Burma, Thailand, the Philippines, Kampuchea, southern China (including Hainan, Guangdong province), Taiwan, Japan (rare strays), Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia (Kalimantan, Sumatra, Sula, Talaud, Flores, Alor and Sumba), Papua New Guinea, Australia (including Lord Howe's island), apparently Hawaii and possibly other Pacific Ocean islands. Formerly absent from Borneo it is now one of the commonest papilionids in Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) and in Brunei. In recent years the butterfly has spread to Hispaniola island (Dominican Republic) in the Western Hemisphere, and subsequently to Jamaica,and Puerto Rico. The Dominican population originated from Southeast Asia but how the butterfly reached there is not known. The butterfly is a pest and invasive species from the Old World which has spread to the Caribbean and Central America.

Notes:

I found this guy in lime tree in my yard.

2 Species ID Suggestions

Common Lime Butterfly
Papilio demoleus Papilio demoleus
starleaf
starleaf 12 years ago
Common Mormon
Papilio polytes Papilio polytes


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1 Comment

VianneyTedjamulia
VianneyTedjamulia 12 years ago

Thx StarLeaf,
After I get the ID from you, I do a little research, and my conclusion this guy is Papilio demoleus ( Common Lime Butterfly ) not Papilio polytes because I found it in lime tree.
Thx for the clue..

VianneyTedjamulia
Spotted by
VianneyTedjamulia

Malang, Jawa Timur, Indonesia

Spotted on Mar 13, 2009
Submitted on Dec 9, 2011

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