Papilio iswara White 1842

Papilio iswara, the great Helen, is a species of large swallowtail butterfly found in parts of Southeast Asia.

Status

Papilio iswara is not uncommon and not threatened.

Subspecies

• Papilio iswara iswara (southern Burma to Singapore, Sumatra, Bangka)
• Papilio iswara araspes C. & R. Felder, 1859 (northern Borneo, Natuna Island)

Taxonomy

Papilio iswara is a member of the helenus species group. The members of this clade are:

• Papilio helenus Linnaeus, 1758
• Papilio iswara White, 1842
• Papilio iswaroides Fruhstorfer, 1898
• Papilio nephelus Boisduval, 1836
• Papilio nubilus Staudinger, 1895
• Papilio sataspes C. & R. Felder, 1865

Type material

The holotype is conserved in the Natural History Museum, London.

References

• White, A., 1842, Notice of two New Species of Papilio from Penang, presented to the British Museum by Sir. Wm. Norris. Entomologist 1:280. [1]
• Collins, N. Mark; Morris, Michael G. (1985). Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World: The IUCN Red Data Book. Gland & Cambridge: IUCN. ISBN 978-2-88032-603-6 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.