Indian Foundation for Butterflies – Butterflies of India

SPECIES PAGE LISTING

Lepidoptera

Papilionoidea

Papilionidae

Bhutanitis lidderdalii

Bhutanitis lidderdalii Atkinson, 1873 – Bhutan Glory

Subspecies in India:

(1) Bhutanitis lidderdalii lidderdalii Atkinson, 1873 – Himalayan Bhutan Glory

Photo Gallery

Identification

Identification:

Wingspan: 90-110mm (Evans 1932). Upperside: Black with pale white or cream-colored transverse lines running from costa to dorsum on both wings. Hindwing tornus has a prominent large patch with yellow-orange submarginal lunules, central bluish-black patch centered white between the veins, and a crimson post-discal band towards the basal edge of the black patch. Forewings are long and rounded with convex termen, and hindwings have three tails. Underside: similar to the upperside, but paler.

The antennae, head, thorax and abdomen are black, while the abdomen is laterally crossed by ochreous white lines and abdominal segments are marked by lines of similar colour. The body and wings are reported to give off a pleasant odour.

The sexes are alike.

Similar species in India: None. This is a unique species, a sole representative of its genus and tribe (Zerynthiini) in India.

Distribution

Indian and global distribution:

Subspecies lidderdalii is endemic to the E. Himalaya, occurring Sikkim eastward into Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, and N. Myanmar.

The species ranges over the E. Himalaya, N. Myanmar, SW China (Szechwan and Yunnan Provinces), and N. Indo-China. It used to occur in N. Thailand as subspecies ocellatomaculata, but is now reportedly locally extinct (Ek-Amnuay 2010).

State-wise distribution:

Status, Habitat
and Habits

Status, Habitat and Habits:

The Bhutan Glory flies between 1,500 and 2,500m asl in the Himalaya and Manipur-Naga Hills in northeast India. It has a leisurely, coasting flight, which has been compared to that of the Tree-Nymph butterflies (Idea spp). This is a habitual hill-topper, found more commonly on ridges rather than in valleys, and it usually flies high among the tree-tops. When seen from below, the greyish underside of the butterfly makes it inconspicuous in the canopy shade.

At rest the butterfly spreads its wings rather than fold them over the back similar to many Papilio but unlike most other butterflies. Then it more or less covers its hindwings with the forewings, largely concealing the bright tricolored tornal patches on the hindwings.

Both sexes feed from a wide variety of flowers.

The species is likely to be unpalatable because it uses the toxic Aristolochia spp. as its larval host plants. Adult butterflies have not been experimentally tested for toxicity.

The (sub)species is considered rare in India, and it has been legally protected under India's WildLife (Protection) Act, 1972 (Anonymous 1997). Worldwide, Colllins and Morris (1985) gave its status as "Insufficiently known", arguing that it is widely distributed and hence unlikely to be in danger at the moment. However, they acknowledge that more information is needed on this comparatively poorly known species. Three extralimital species of Bhutanitis are listed in the IUCN's Red List, but not B. lidderdalii.

Early Stages

Early Stages:

The Bhutan Glory is known to have up to two broods: the first in May-June, and the second from August to October.

Larval Host
Plants

Larval Hosts & Plants:

Aristolochia griffithii, A. kaempferi, and A. manchuriensis (Robinson et al. 2001).

References

References:
References:

Anonymous. 1997. The WildLife (Protection) Act, 1972 (as amended up to 1993) with rules uptil 1995. Natraj Publishers, Dehra Dun.

Collins, N. M. and M. G. Morris. 1985. Threatened Swallowtails of the World: The IUCN Red Data Book. IUCN Protected Area Programme Series. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, U.K.: IUCN. p. 44.

Ek-Amnuay, P. 2010. The Great Bhutan, Bhutanitis lidderdalii ocellatomaculata, an extinct butterfly from Thailand not long ago. Siam Insect Zoo & Museum.

Evans, W. H. 1932. The Identification of Indian butterflies. 2nd ed. Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai.

Robinson, G. S., P. R. Ackery, I. J. Kitching, G. W. Beccaloni and L. M. Hernández. 2001. Hostplants of the Moth and Butterfly Caterpillars of the Oriental Region. Natural History Museum, London.

Cite this page along with its URL as:

Baindur, A. 2011. Bhutanitis lidderdalii Atkinson, 1873 – Bhutan Glory. In K. Kunte, S. Kalesh & U. Kodandaramaiah (eds.). Butterflies of India, v. 1.05. Indian Foundation for Butterflies.