Atrophaneura aidoneus

Atrophaneura aidoneus, the lesser batwing, is an Asian species of butterfly that belongs to the batwings group of Atrophaneura, comprising tailless black swallowtail butterflies.

Description

 * Wingspan: 112–162 mm.
 * Male: Tailless. Above, the butterfly is bluish black and unmarked. It has a white scent patch in a square dorsal fold, which is pink or red on its marginal edge. This white scent patch is smaller than that of the common windmill.
 * Female: Tailless. Above, the butterfly is grey brown. It has dark stripes between the veins.

Resembles Atrophaneura varuna race astorion, but differs as follows: Cell of forewing proportionately not quite so long; abdominal fold to the hindwing in male not so broad, its lower margin not square, rounded; the specialized scales within the fold white, with an edging of pink. Female larger. Upperside: ground colour olivaceous brown, never black; abdomen with a broad white, not crimson, lateral stripe.

Description in Seitz
Head red, the long hairs often almost all black;the sides of the breast and abdomen red, and the sides of the latter mostly white-red. Wings blue-black, in the female often brownish, the forewing lighter, with the usual black stripes at the veins and folds. Scent¬fold of the male as the preceding species [Atrophaneura hageni]with white area, posteriorly edged with pale salmon-colour. North-West India, Sikkim, Bhutan, Khassia Hills (very rare), Burma, Shan States, Tonkin and Hainan; in Sikkim not rare up to about 5000 ft. from April to November; according to Manders the butterfly flies by preference in the deep shadow of forest-trees which overhang rivers. Its flight is slow and graceful.Karl Jordan in Seitz (page 29)

Range
Northern India, Bhutan, Burma, northern Vietnam, northern Laos, southern China (including Hainan (Guangdong province)).

In India, it is found in Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur and Nagaland.

Status
The butterfly is not common but not regarded as threatened.

Taxonomy
No subspecies.

Habitat
The lesser batwing flies from April to November and frequents forests up to the altitude of 5000 ft.

Habits
The lesser batwing is a shade-loving forest butterfly. It has a slow and graceful flight. Both sexes frequent flowers, often Lantana.