Papilio ophidicephalus
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Papilio ophidicephalus, the emperor swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa. The wingspan is 90–110 mm in males and 100–120 mm in females. It has two broods, one from August to December and the second from January to April.
The larvae feed on Clausena inqequalis, Calodendrum capense, Citrus species, Clausena anisata, Zanthoxylum capense and other Zanthoxylum species. Papilio ophidicephalus is a member of the menestheus species group. The members of the clade are: Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Emperor Swallowtail sighting in Arusha National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 13 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Emperor Swallowtail in Arusha National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, May–September and November, the lowest months.
Only Arusha National Park, in our data
Arusha National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Emperor Swallowtail sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Papilio
The closest relatives of the Emperor Swallowtail that you can see in Arusha National Park (genus Papilio, Common Swallowtails) are Apple-Green Swallowtail (about 20%), Mocker Swallowtail (about 20%) and Citrus Swallowtail (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Emperor Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Arusha National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
