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Common Mormon Swallowtail
Papilio polytes
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumArthropoda (Arthropods)
- ClassInsecta (Insects)
- OrderLepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- FamilyPapilionidae (Swallowtails and Parnassians)
- GenusPapilio (Common Swallowtails)
- SpeciesPapilio polytes (Common Mormon Swallowtail)
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
234 Verified sightings at Chennai
288 In all 15 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Common Mormon Swallowtail
Papilio polytes, the common Mormon, is a common species of swallowtail butterfly widely distributed across Asia. This butterfly is known for the mimicry displayed by the numerous forms of its females which mimic inedible red-bodied swallowtails, such as the common rose and the crimson rose.
The common name is an allusion to the polygamy formerly practiced by members of the Mormon sect according to Harish Gaonkar, of the Natural History Museum in London:... the origins of giving common English names to organisms, particularly butterflies for tropical species started in India around the mid 19th century... The naming of Mormons evolved slowly. I think the first to get such a name was the Common Mormon (Papilio polytes), because it had three different females, a fact that could only have been observed in the field, and this they did in India. The name obviously reflected the... Mormon sect in America, which as we know, practiced polygamy.
The scientific name is constructed from the Latin word for butterfly, papilio, and the Greek word for many, poly. Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, southern and western China... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Common Mormon Swallowtail in Chennai
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 2 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 3 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 4 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 5 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 7 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 8 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 9 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 10 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 12 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 13 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 14 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 15 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
Cities Where Found
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jalandhar | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Solapur | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Kalyan-Dombivli | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Guwahati | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Mumbai | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Jamshedpur | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Chandigarh | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Tuen Mun | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 9 | Savar | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | |
| 10 | Thiruvananthapuram | 🇮🇳 India |
Closest Relatives at Chennai
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Common Mormon Swallowtail in Chennai?
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Common Mormon Swallowtail sighting in Chennai on a given day, based on 234 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 9th most-seen of the 376 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Common Mormon Swallowtail in Chennai?
June–July, September–October and December
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Common Mormon Swallowtail in Chennai on a given day, against about 10% in February, the lowest month.
What time of day is best to see a Common Mormon Swallowtail?
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Mormon Swallowtail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Is Chennai the best place to see a Common Mormon Swallowtail?
34th of 82
Of the 82 cities where we can rate Common Mormon Swallowtail sightings, Chennai ranks 34th at about 30%. The best odds are in Jalandhar (India, about 50%), Solapur (India, about 50%) and Kalyan-Dombivli (India, about 40%).
Which relatives of the Common Mormon Swallowtail live in Chennai?
Same genus: Papilio
The closest relatives of the Common Mormon Swallowtail that you can see in Chennai (genus Papilio, Common Swallowtails) are Lime Swallowtail (about 40%) and Great Mormon Swallowtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
Where does the Common Mormon Swallowtail sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Mormon Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Chennai (234 verified sightings), 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.
