Byasa plutonius

Byasa plutonius, the Chinese windmill, is a butterfly found in Asia that belongs to the windmills genus (Byasa), comprising tailed black swallowtail butterflies with white spots and red submarginal crescents.

Chinese windmill
Subspecies A. p. pembertoni
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Papilionidae
Genus:
Byasa
Species:
B. plutonius
Binomial name
Byasa plutonius[1]
Oberthür, 1907
Synonyms

Atrophaneura plutonius

The two subspecies in the Indian subcontinent have the common names of Pemberton's windmill and Tytler's windmill.

Range

This butterfly lives in south-western China, Bhutan, Nepal and north-east India.

In India, it is found in the states of Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram.

Status

A rare species of high elevations, two subspecies are protected in India:

  • B. p. pembertoni, Pemberton's Chinese windmill (may be contracted to Pemberton's windmill)
  • B. p. tytleri, Tytler's Chinese windmill (may be contracted to Tytler's windmill)

Taxonomy

There are three subspecies.

Description
  • Wingspan: 100–120 mm.
  • Tail black in both sexes.
  • Male: Above, brownish black and unmarked except for a row of markings.
Pemberton's windmill (Sikkim, Bhutan) - This row from veins 2 to 6 on the upper hindwing consists of whitish marginal spots.
Tytler's windmill (Manipur, Naga and Chin hills) - This row consists of prominent black marginal spots on the upper hindwing and small red spot in vein 2.
  • Female: Above, paler. The female has traces of red lunules on the margins from veins 3 to 6 on the upper hindwing.

References
  1. Häuser, Christoph L.; de Jong, Rienk; Lamas, Gerardo; Robbins, Robert K.; Smith, Campbell; Vane-Wright, Richard I. (28 July 2005). "Papilionidae – revised GloBIS/GART species checklist (2nd draft)". Entomological Data Information System. Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Germany. Retrieved 21 June 2013.


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