Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Tribe: Troidini
Genus: Parides
Species: P. sesostris
Binomial name: Parides sesostris (Cramer, 1779)
Introduction: Parides, and the related genera Battus and Euryades are not true Swallowtails, but are members of the Troidini, the same tribe to which the giant Ornithoptera Birdwings of Papua New Guinea belong.
There are 34 members of the genus Parides, all of which are confined to tropical and sub-tropical areas of Central and South America. They are characterised by having elongated blackish forewings, marked on the males of most species with brilliant patches of turquoise or lime green, and on the females with cream. The hindwings in most species are marked with bright pink patches, and are generally rounded and without tails, but with a scalloped outer margin.
There are exceptions to these general rules, e.g. Parides hahneli which has a series of broad transparent bands across the forewings, and long tails on the hindwings. Another exception is Parides quadratus which has black forewings and large golden patches on the hindwings, and is very reminiscent of the Troides Birdwings of tropical Asia.
Parides sesostris is a common species found from Mexico to Bolivia.
Habitats: This species occurs primarily in primary rainforest, at altitudes between sea level and about 1200m. There are small populations on the western slopes of the Andes, but it is much more frequent on the eastern slopes and in the Amazon basin.
Lifecycle: The eggs are globular, and laid singly on the leaves of young Aristolochia plants.
The caterpillar when fully grown is mottled in dull ochreous with blackish spotting. The tubercles are dark reddish brown, except those on segments 8 and 11, which are white.
The pupa is bright lime green, flushed with pale yellow on the wing cases.
Adult behaviour: The butterflies are usually encountered along forest edges, and where light gaps occur at the intersections of trails. Both sexes visit flowers on sunny mornings, and males occasionally mud-puddle on riverbanks, but most sightings are of males in flight or basking on foliage.
