Graphium leonidas
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
Graphium leonidas, the veined swordtail, veined swallowtail or common graphium, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae, found in Sub-Saharan Africa. For terms see External morphology of Lepidoptera The wingspan is 75–80 mm in males and 75–85 mm in females.
Both wings beneath without distinct dark longitudinal streaks on the folds between the veins and without dark longitudinal streaks in the cell of the hindwing. Both wings with submarginal spots. The discal spot of cellule 1 b of the forewing never reaches the base of the cellule. Hindwing usually with free discal spots in cellules 2—5 and with a broad basal transverse band, which covers the greater part of the cell and the base of cellules 1 c, 2, 6 and 7. Forewing always with discal spots in cellules 1 b, 3, 7 and 8, and usually also with small ones in 2, 4, 5 and 6; the cell mostly with three spots. — leonidas F. (= similis Cr.) (7 d). All the spots light blue (male) or bluish white (female); forewing without discal spot in cellule 1 a; the submarginal spots of both wings large; the discal spot of cellule 4 of the forewing is proximally rounded and does not reach the base of the cellule. Sierra Leone... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Veined Swordtail sighting in Nairobi on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 32nd most-seen of the 123 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–May and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Veined Swordtail in Nairobi on a given day, against under 5% in August and November–December, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Veined Swordtail sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 4
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Veined Swordtail sightings, Nairobi ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Accra (Ghana, about 30%), Kigali (Rwanda, about 20%) and Kampala (Uganda, about 10%).
Same family: Papilionidae
The closest relatives of the Veined Swordtail that you can see in Nairobi (family Papilionidae, Swallowtails and Parnassians) are Mocker Swallowtail (about 30%), Citrus Swallowtail (about 30%) and Apple-Green Swallowtail (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Veined Swordtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Nairobi (14 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.
