The Rumanzovia Swallowtail, Papilio rumanzovia
The Rumanzovia Swallowtail, also called the Scarlet Mormon, is native to Southeast Asia and Australia. Males and females are sexually dimorphic, meaning that they look much different from each other.
The male’s forewings are black with faint white lines along the outer edges. The hindwings are solid black towards the body and lined with white towards the outer edges. Each hindwing has a small cluster of red spots on the lower inside edge.
Females are more colourful and can be found in a variety of colour morphs. The female’s coulouring can range from mostly black with red spots to forewings that are primarily white with black edging and veins. The hindwings are black with red spots and sometimes have a large, central white patch.
At Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory, the Rumanzovia Swallowtail can be easily confused with the Asian Swallowtail (Papilio lowi). The best way to distinguish these two species is to remember that the Rumanzovia Swallowtail lacks hindwing tails, whereas both males and females of the Asian Swallowtail have prominent tails.
