Veined Swordtail
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at iSimangaliso Wetland Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

17 Verified sightings at iSimangaliso Wetland Park From 2019 to 2026
27 In all 2 parks
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Veined Swordtail

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 →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
2 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Accra 🇬🇭 Ghana
~30%
2 Kigali 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~20%
3 Kampala 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
4 Nairobi 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Veined Swordtail in iSimangaliso Wetland Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Veined Swordtail sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 137th most-seen of the 316 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Veined Swordtail in iSimangaliso Wetland Park?

December

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Veined Swordtail in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in February and April–September, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Veined Swordtail?

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.

Is iSimangaliso Wetland Park the best place to see a Veined Swordtail?

Yes

Of the 2 parks where we can rate Veined Swordtail sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Kruger National Park (South Africa, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Veined Swordtail live in iSimangaliso Wetland Park?

Same genus: Graphium

The closest relatives of the Veined Swordtail that you can see in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (genus Graphium, Swordtails, Jays, Bluebottles and allies) are Angola White Lady (about 10%), Large Striped Swordtail (about 10%) and Black Swordtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Veined Swordtail sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Veined Swordtail is recorded against all the insects logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (17 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.

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