Papilio protenor
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Papilio protenor, the spangle, is a large butterfly found in South East Asia belonging to the swallowtail family. Upperside: velvety indigo-blue black, duller on the forewing than on the hindwing. Forewing with pale adnervular streaks broadened along the terminal margin and extended well into the cell. Hindwing: a broad pale yellowish-white subcostal streak; interspaces 4 to 6 irrorated (sprinkled) with bluish scales; tornal angle marked with red.
Underside: forewing dull black; adnervular streaks distinctly grey and much broader than on the upperside. Hindwing: ground colour as on the upperside, a large irregularly-shaped patch at the tornal angle that extends into interspace 2, and subterminal lunules in interspaces 2, 6, and 7 dull pinkish-red, cell irrorated more-or-less with a sprinkling of blue scales; the tornal patch with a black, outwardly blue-edged, round medial spot, and interspaces 4 and 5 with subterminal irrorations of blue scales. Antennae black; head, thorax and abdomen dark brownish-black.
Similar to male. Upperside: ground colour deep brownish-black; adnervular streaks on forewing yellowish; irroration of blue scales on outer... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 4 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Spangle Swallowtail sighting in Cuc Phuong National Park on a given day, based on 44 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 126 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and June
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Spangle Swallowtail in Cuc Phuong National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January and April, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spangle 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.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Spangle Swallowtail sightings, Cuc Phuong National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Namdapha National Park (India, about 40%) and Taroko National Park (Taiwan, about 20%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Papilio
The closest relatives of the Spangle Swallowtail that you can see in Cuc Phuong National Park (genus Papilio, Common Swallowtails) are Red Helen Swallowtail (about 40%), Great Mormon Swallowtail (about 40%) and Common Mormon Swallowtail (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spangle Swallowtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Cuc Phuong National Park (44 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.
