Papilio neumoegeni facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Papilio neumoegeni |
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The Papilio neumoegeni is a beautiful type of butterfly. It belongs to the Papilionidae family, also known as swallowtail butterflies. This special butterfly lives only on the island of Sumba in Indonesia. When an animal lives only in one place, we say it is endemic there.
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What Does the Papilio neumoegeni Look Like?
The Papilio neumoegeni butterfly has a wingspan of about 43 to 48 millimeters. That's roughly the length of a large paperclip!
Male Butterfly Appearance
The top side of the male's front wings is mostly black. It has shiny, golden-green scales spread across most of the wing. There's also a bright, golden-green band that crosses the middle of the wing. This band is broken by a dark brown or black patch.
The top side of the male's back wings has a wavy outer edge. It also has a long, spoon-shaped tail. These tails might even have green tips! The main color of the back wings is black. The part closest to the body has shiny golden-green scales. A wide, emerald-green band stretches across the middle of the wing. There are also several large, emerald-green spots. These spots sometimes join together near the wing's tip.
The underside of the male butterfly is brownish-black. It has a few golden scales. The underside of the front wing has a light gray band. This band gets narrower towards the bottom corner. The underside of the back wing has a border of black, moon-shaped spots. It also has a black eyespot. These spots and eyespots are outlined in orange and light blue.
Female Butterfly Appearance
Female Papilio neumoegeni butterflies are a little bigger than the males. The main difference is that females do not have the dark patch on their front wings. Females might also look a bit browner. They can have a yellowish-orange spot near the tip of their upper back wings.
Where Does the Papilio neumoegeni Live?
The Papilio neumoegeni butterfly is found only on the island of Sumba. This island is part of Indonesia.
How Does the Papilio neumoegeni Live?
Male Papilio neumoegeni butterflies fly all year long. They often fly along forest paths or in open areas within the forest. In the afternoon, they like to rest in bushes. Other butterflies like the Papilio polytes and Atrophaneura oreon can be found in the same areas.
Female butterflies fly more slowly than males. They usually fly high up in the forest trees. Scientists do not yet know what plants the caterpillars of this butterfly eat.
