Graphium antheus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Graphium antheus, the large or larger striped swordtail, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae (swallowtails), found in tropical and sub-Saharan Africa. The wingspan is 65–70 mm in males and 70–75 mm in females.The transverse bars in the cell of the forewing all separated; the apical spot in the cell of the hindwing above completely separated from the median band of the cell by the black ground-colour; the middle cell of the hindwing beneath with a deep black and red spot. The larva is brown to brown-green with a
yellow belt on the third segment and lives on Artabotrys, an Annonaceae. Sierra Leone to Angola. — In ab.evombaroides Eim. the apical spot of the cell of the hindwing above is more or less united with the median band; otherwise not different from antheus. West Africa. — In ab. utuba Hamps. the fourth and fifth transverse bands in the cell of the forewing are united posteriorly, forming a U-shaped spot; otherwise agreeing with nyassae. Delagoa and British East Africa. — nyassae Btlr. has the middle cell of the hindwing beneath without the black and red spot; the transverse bars in the coll of the fore wing separated. Natal to British East Africa... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 2 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 3 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Large Striped Swordtail sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 25 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 73rd most-seen of the 316 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.
November
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Large Striped Swordtail in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in January and April–September, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Large Striped Swordtail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Large Striped Swordtail sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 30%) and Gorongosa National Park (Mozambique, about 20%).
Same genus: Graphium
The closest relatives of the Large Striped Swordtail that you can see in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (genus Graphium, Swordtails, Jays, Bluebottles and allies) are Angola White Lady (about 10%), Black Swordtail (about 10%) and Veined Swordtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Large Striped Swordtail is recorded against all the insects logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (25 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.
