Papilio memnon
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Papilio memnon, the great Mormon, is a large butterfly native to southern Asia that belongs to the swallowtail family. It is widely distributed and has thirteen subspecies. The female is polymorphic and with mimetic forms.
Its range includes north-eastern India (including Sikkim, Assam and Nagaland), Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nicobar Islands, Andaman Islands (stragglers only), western, southern and eastern China (including Hainan), Taiwan, southern Japan including Ryukyu Islands, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Kampuchea, Malaysia and Indonesia (Sumatra, Mentawai Islands, Nias, Batu, Simeulue, Bangka, Java, Kalimantan and the Lesser Sunda Islands).
This species is common and not threatened. The cultivation of citrus all over Southern Asia provides an abundance of food plants. The butterfly is large with a 120 to 150 millimetres (4.7 to 5.9 in) span. It has four male and many female forms, the females being highly polymorphic and many of them being mimics of unpalatable butterflies. This species has been studied extensively for understanding the genetic basis for polymorphy and Batesian mimicry. As many as twenty-six female forms are... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 3 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 5 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 6 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 7 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 8 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 9 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 10 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 11 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 13 | Bali Barat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 14 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 15 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 16 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 17 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 18 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 19 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 20 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 21 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanoi | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Yogyakarta | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 3 | Jakarta | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | Tuen Mun | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 5 | Tasikmalaya | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 6 | Taipei | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 7 | Kathmandu | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 8 | Chattogram | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | |
| 9 | Kalyan-Dombivli | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Naha | 🇯🇵 Japan |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Great Mormon Swallowtail sighting in Kaohsiung on a given day, based on 40 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 36th most-seen of the 218 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July–September and December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Great Mormon Swallowtail in Kaohsiung on a given day, against under 5% in January, the lowest month. Those are among Kaohsiung's wettest months, with about 250 mm of rain a month against 25 mm in February.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Great 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.
24th of 39
Of the 39 cities where we can rate Great Mormon Swallowtail sightings, Kaohsiung ranks 24th at about 10%. The best odds are in Hanoi (Vietnam, about 40%), Yogyakarta (Indonesia, about 30%) and Jakarta (Indonesia, about 30%).
Same genus: Papilio
The closest relatives of the Great Mormon Swallowtail that you can see in Kaohsiung (genus Papilio, Common Swallowtails) are Lime Swallowtail (about 30%), Common Mormon Swallowtail (about 20%) and Spangle Swallowtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Great Mormon Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Kaohsiung (40 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.
