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Red Helen

Papilio helenus helenus Linnaeus, 1758

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27.1733, 88.632

Field Notes

Habitat:

Damp place by the side of a stream. There is thick greenery around the place. Warm and humid.

Notes:

I don't see in this specimen the concave shapes on the white bands facing dorsally, and white finishings on the ends of the wings, like in some other specimens. Could this be a sub-species?

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (6)
DrNamgyalTSherpa
Thanks Daniele for the extensive review. l'll be grateful if you could also review my Yellow Helen (which seems just missed by all), again the patterns on the back are quite confusing for me. Thanks.
DanielePralong
Hi Dr.! There are up to thirteen recognized subspecies for the Red Helen, two of which occur in India, and one in Sikkim: Papilio helenus helenus. There's a fair bit of variability between specimen but the white marks you're referring to are indeed not particularly concave in this subspecies compared to others. The less prominent white margins may just be because the butterfly is slightly worn out. For reference: http://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sp/655/Papilio-helenus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio_helenus The currently accepted genus for this specie is Papilio; Princeps is currently not in use: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/butmoth/search/GenusDetails.dsml?NUMBER=23881.0
maplemoth662
Photo no. 1: is a masterpiece - it shows beauty and color....
maplemoth662
A very beautiful, and a very colorful butterfly....two, very beautiful, butterfly photos....photo no. 1: has very beautiful colors....

Spotted for Missions

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Butterflies & Moths of the World
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Himalayan Biodiversity
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ButterflyIndia
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INDIAN WILDLIFE
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2018 Best Wildlife Photo

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Photographed
PublishedApril 11, 2018

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