TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies)
Family: Papilionidae (Swallowtail butterflies)

Genus/ species: Ornithoptera priamus

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Variable between numerous subspecies.
The top of the forewing is velvety black with a green subcostal and marginal stripe. The bottom of the forewing is black with a chain of bluish or green postdiscal spots.
The hindwings are green. At the wing’s leading edge there are yellow-gold spots with a postdiscal chain of black spots. The edge of the hindwing is black. The underside is dark green or bluish. The yellow-golden spots are transparent. The veins are partly black and the marginal edge of the wing is black. At the outer edge there is a postdiscal chain of black spots.

The body (abdomen) is yellow. Head and thorax are black. The underside of thorax has a red hair coat.
Wingspan: 5 in. (12.7 cm.)  Male below Topwing (dorsal)

Male bottom side (ventral)

 O. priamus is sexually dimorphic. The basic color of the female is dark-brown with a chain of white postdiscal spots on the forewings and a chain of larger white postdiscal spots with dark centres on the hindwing. The underside is very similar to the upper.

The female is larger than the male and in the upper range of the wing-span.

Female below top wing (dorsal)

Female bottom wing (ventral)

 

 

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Found in the Australasia / Indomalaya (Australia) ecozone.

References

California Academy of Sciences Rainforest 2017 Vetting Tim Wong

Ron’s WordPress Shortlink  http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-1Mz

Ron’s flickr  https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/33116609042/in/album-72157608449327886/

EOL eol.org/pages/130749/overview

www.nagypal.net/images/zzpriamu.htm

 Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden www.lewisginter.org/sexually-dimorphic-butterflies/

butterflycorner.net en.butterflycorner.net/Ornithoptera-priamus.952.0.html

insecta.pro  insecta.pro/taxonomy/15076