Subspecies in India
No subspecies are listed under this species.
Taxonomic Information
This is also known as the Yellow-crested Spangle. 'Spangle', or Papilio protenor – Spangled Mormon, belongs to the subgenus Menelaides (popularly known as 'Mormons' owing to female-limited polymorphisms seen in some species), whereas Papilio elephenor – Yellow-crested Peacock, is expected to belong to the subgenus Achillides, popularly known as 'Peacocks' owing to the iridescent bright blue and green patches on their wings. However, the phylogenetic position of Papilio elephenor has not yet been confirmed with a molecular analysis, and there is a possibility that it may indeed belong to the subgenus Menelaides, instead.
Conservation and Special status
This species is legally protected in India under Schedule I of the WildLife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022.
Photo Gallery and Species Biology
This species has been recorded so far from Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, and West Bengal, within the Indian limits.
This species is legally protected in India under Schedule I of the WildLife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022.
| State | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | No date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands UT | |||||||||||||
| Andhra Pradesh | |||||||||||||
| Arunachal Pradesh | |||||||||||||
| Assam | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Bihar | |||||||||||||
| Chandigarh | |||||||||||||
| Chhattisgarh | |||||||||||||
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli UT | |||||||||||||
| Daman & Diu UT | |||||||||||||
| Delhi | |||||||||||||
| Goa | |||||||||||||
| Gujarat | |||||||||||||
| Haryana | |||||||||||||
| Himachal Pradesh | |||||||||||||
| Jammu and Kashmir UT | |||||||||||||
| Jharkhand | |||||||||||||
| Karnataka | |||||||||||||
| Kerala | |||||||||||||
| Ladakh UT | |||||||||||||
| Lakshadweep | |||||||||||||
| Madhya Pradesh | |||||||||||||
| Maharashtra | |||||||||||||
| Manipur | |||||||||||||
| Meghalaya | |||||||||||||
| Mizoram | |||||||||||||
| Nagaland | |||||||||||||
| Odisha | |||||||||||||
| Puducherry UT | |||||||||||||
| Punjab | |||||||||||||
| Rajasthan | |||||||||||||
| Sikkim | |||||||||||||
| Tamil Nadu | |||||||||||||
| Telangana | |||||||||||||
| Tripura | |||||||||||||
| Uttar Pradesh | |||||||||||||
| Uttarakhand | |||||||||||||
| West Bengal | |||||||||||||
| Total | 1 |
Page citation
Kunte, K. 2026. Papilio elephenor Doubleday, 1845 – Yellow-crested Peacock. In Kunte, K., S. Sondhi, and P. Roy (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 4.12. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/papilio-elephenor, accessed 2026/05/26.


