Bug FAQLarge Striped Swordtail
Graphium antheus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Papilionidae
The Large Striped Swordtail has a wingspan of about 65 to 75 mm, with females slightly larger than males. It lives across tropical and sub-Saharan Africa, from Sierra Leone to Angola and eastward to British East Africa. Its caterpillars feed on a variety of plants such as Uvaria, Annona and Artabotrys species.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The forewing shows separate transverse bars in the cell, and the hindwing has a distinct apical spot separated from the median band above. The underside of the hindwing middle cell bears a deep black and red spot.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Males have a wingspan of 65 to 70 mm, while females are 70 to 75 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found in tropical and sub-Saharan African habitats.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing throughout the year, with numbers peaking from November to December.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Flight activity occurs year-round, highest in November to December.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range extends from Sierra Leone east to Angola. It also occurs in Delagoa, British East Africa, Natal, Nyassaland and around Victoria Nyanza.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Form ab.utuba shows the fourth and fifth forewing transverse bars joined posteriorly into a U-shaped spot. Nyassae lacks the black and red spot on the hindwing underside and has separated forewing bars. Var. lurlinus is larger with more extensive green markings and larger submarginal spots. Mercutius displays yellow-white upper surface markings and fused transverse bands forming a quadrate spot, plus red spots on the hindwing.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I tell the Large Striped Swordtail apart from similar butterflies?
Look for separate transverse bars on the forewing cell and a distinct apical spot on the hindwing that is not joined to the median band; the underside of the hindwing middle cell also has a deep black and red spot.
Source: Wikipedia
When are these butterflies most active?
They can be seen flying all year, with the highest numbers in November and December.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Papilionidae)
.jpg){kind=link}
_underside,_mature.jpg){kind=link}
_mature.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphium_antheus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.