#chinese windmill

[hidewaku]

森の散歩道…アキノタムラソウへ麝香鳳蝶

[birdmemorandum]

ジャコウアゲハ。 Chinese windmill.

[sarasoj]

チョウ温室にて、ジャコウアゲハ 以前行った時には数が少なく、動きが速すぎて殆ど撮れませんでしたが、今回はこの子たちが一番沢山飛んでいたかも。

In the butterfly greenhouse, Chinese windmill. When I went there before, they had only a few. And they flew so fast that I could not take pictures. But on this day, I think that these types are the most butterflies here.

[testa-animale]

Chinese windmill, Byasa alcinous (two more pics below) da Anne Kurasawa Tramite Flickr: I followed this butterfly for three hours and quickly learned it's territory. I had a few chances to capture it while it was resting, but to my disappointment I failed with exposure with some shots. Black wings and harsh sunlight made it very hard to expose. Koishikawa Botanical Garden, Tokyo

[libutron]

Chinese Windmill: a scented butterfly

The Chinese Windmill, Byasa alcinous (Papilionidae) is a butterfly found in Japan, Taiwan, China and Korea. Larvae of this butterfly are dark red to brown and have fleshy spine-like tubercles, They feed on species of Aristolochia and Thottea. Adults have about 9 – 10 cm in wingspan, are black and have yellow or red spots on its hindwings. The underside of the body has yellow or red hairs. The female is dark-brown or black.

Male adults of the Chinese Windmill emit a characteristic strong odor perceivable by humans, although the females are almost scentless. It is considered that the male scent, present predominantly in the wings, plays an important role in courtship. 

Byasa genus has been merged into the Atrophaneura genus by several scientists.

References: [1] - [2] - [3]

Photo credit: [Top: ©Xingang Wu | Locality: not indicated, 2011] - [Bottom: ©Nobuhiko Sato | Locality: not indicated, 2014]