Papilio polytes romulus - Cramer 1775    The Common Mormon

Species details : The female of this species has two forms. Form (f.) polytes is a mimic of Pachliopta aristolochiae but lacks the red body of its model. The much rarer other form, f. cyrus is like the male.

This is a very common species, and can be found everywhere, but is least common in forests.

The courtship 'dance' of this species is particularly beautiful. The male appears to mob the female, until she eventually settles on a plant, where she stays, fluttering her wings. The Male flies continuously around her, occasionally butting her. This lasts for about a minute. The female then takes off and very, very slowly flies upwards and backwards, the male following, facing her at all times. The pair eventually reach a great height before returning to land when mating commences. The whole ballet can take up to 20 minutes.

Early Stages         :

2nd Instar                                                  3rd Instar                                              4th Instar                                                                  5th Instar                                                          5th Instar Front-on

normal colouration        Pupa                                           aberrant colouration

Larval Foodplant : Citrus and other Rutaceae.

Range                    : Sri Lanka, India through to China, The Malay Peninsular through the Archipelago to the Moluccas and the Lesser Sunda Islands.