Common Birdwing, Troides helena (Linnaeus, 1758).

Intro: Troides helena, the common birdwing, is a butterfly belonging to the family Papilionidae. It is often found in the wildlife trade due to its popularity with butterfly collectors. The butterfly has seventeen subspecies.

Description: Male
Upperside of forewings are rich velvety black with adnervular pale streaks on either side of the veins beyond the cell. The cilia is short, black, alternated with pale buffy white in the middle of the interspaces.
Hindwing: the abdominal fold, the apical half obliquely of interspace 1, the termen broadly, the base of the cell and the costal area up to and including the basal half of interspace 7 velvety black, the rest of the wing rich silky yellow; the veins prominently but narrowly black; the inner margin of the terminal black border produced inwards into prominent cone-shaped markings in the interspaces.

All specimens have one or more postdiscal black spots in the interspaces, but never a complete series; in interspace 2 and sometimes also in interspace 3 these spots coalesce with the cone-shaped projections of the terminal black border. Underneath the abdominal fold is a dense mass of buffy-white scented cottony pubescence. Underside similar, the adnervular pale streaks on the forewing broader and more prominent.

Hindwing: dorsal margin broadly black, with an edging of long soft black hairs; interspace 1 with a large oval postdiscal and a terminal black spot; interspace 2 with the postdiscal black spot generally separate from the cone-shaped projection of the black terminal border; the apical and lateral margins of interspaces 2-6 pale yellow irrorated (sprinkled) with black scales.

Female: Upper and under sides of the female is similar to those in the male, but with the following differences:

Forewing: the adnervular pale streaks broader and more prominent.
Hindwing: the black at base and along the costal margin broader, occupying fully one-third of the cell, the area above it and above vein 7, interrupted however, in interspace 7 near the apex of wing, by a transverse yellow mark which is sometimes subobsolete; a postdiscal series of large oval black spots, those in interspaces 2 and 3 often joined on the upperside to the cone-shaped terminal black marks; dorsal margin also more broadly black, without the fringe of black hairs and or course of the abdominal fold. Antenna, head and thorax as in the male; abdomen dark brownish black above.
Subspecies
Wingspan: 100 - 170 mm.

Habitats: The Common Birdwing is primarily found in tropical jungles but they often venture out and are seen in urban gardens.

Food Source: The adults are known to feed from a variety of different flowers. In the wild they really seem to enjoy Lantana.

Habitats: Is widely distributed and locally common in forest areas.

Food plants: The larval food plants include
Indian Birthwort, Aristolochia indica. Indian birthwort and locally as
Dutchman's Pipe, Aristolochia tagala and Chakrani, Thottea siliquosa.
A food plant for the species, Aristolochia tagala has been planted in the Kadoorie Farm and Shan Liu Road in Hong Kong to sustain a healthy population of the species.

Pupal Stage sound: Troides helena helena (Linnaeus, 1758) can be found in Java and Bali. The larval and adult stages of this butterfly do not produce any sound, but the pupal stage produces sound in response to a touching stimulus.

Pupal Acoustic Behaviour of Troides helena ...
ResearchGate
Pupae of numerous Papilionidae and Nymphalidae produce twitter sounds when wriggling in response to mechanical stimulation. The structural basis comprises ...

Distribution and status
T. helena is widely distributed and locally common in forest areas. Globally it is found in Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, peninsular and eastern Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, southern China including Hainan, and Hong Kong. In the Indonesian archipelago, T. helena is found in Sumatra, Nias, Enggano, Java, Bawean, Kangean Islands, Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Great Natuna (Bunguran), Sulawesi, Butung, Tukangbesi, Kalimantan, and Brunei.

In Hong Kong, T. helena is at the northern limit of its range. It is not common in Hong Kong but it is observed that there are stable populations in three sites (the surrounding area of Po Lo Che (Sai Kung District), Shan Liu Road (Tai Po) and Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden in the New Territories). It is also found on Lantau Island and Hong Kong Island.

In India the T. helena is found in the north-east of the country including Sikkim, West Bengal, and Orissa. It is also found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The subspecies found in India are:
T. h. cerberus (C. & R. Felder, 1865) – Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Orissa, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura, W. Bengal.
T. h. heliconoides (Moore, 1877) – Andaman Is.
T. h. ferrari (Tytler, 1926). – South Nicobar Is.
The common birdwing, though widespread and common in many of the localities in which it occurs, was classified as vulnerable in 1985.

Family: Swallowtail, Papilionidae (Latreille, 1802). - 32 genera, 568 species.
Subfamily: Swallowtail, Papilioninae (Latreille, 1802). (501 species).
Tribes: Birdswing, Troides (Hübner, 1819). 34 species.

Species: Common Birdwing, Troides helena (Linnaeus, 1758).
Subspecies:
T. h. helena (Linnaeus, 1758). Java, Bali.
T. h. antileuca (Rothschild, 1908). Kangean island, Lesser Sunda Islands (Nusa Tenggara).
T. h. bunguranensis (Ohya, 1982). Natuna Archipelago. Malaysia's E. Coast and the island of Borneo.
T. h. cerberus (C. & R. Felder, 1865). NE.India - Burma, Indo-China, Thailand, Malaya, S.Yunnan.
T. h. demeter (Rumbucher & Schäffler, 2005). Weh Isl. Andaman Sea.
T. h. dempoensis (Deslisle, 1993). S.Sumatra. (Mt. Dempo).
T. h. euthycrates (Fruhstorfer, 1913). N. Vietnam.
T. h. ferrari (Tytler, 1926(. Nicobar Isl.
T. h. hahneli (Rumbucher & Schäffler, 2005). Komodo I.
T. h. heliconoides (Moore, 1877). Andaman Is.
T. h. hephaestus (Felder, 1865). Sulawesi, Salayar, Tukangbesi, Kabaena, Muna, Buton, Banggai.
T. h. hermes (Hayami, 1991). Banyak Isl. W. coast, N, Sumatra.
T. h. hypnos (Rumbucher & Schäffler, 2005). W.Sumatra (Simeulue I.).
T. h. isara (Rothschild, 1908). Nias isl.W.Coast. Sumatra.
T. h. mopa (Rothschild, 1908). Buton Isl. SE.Sulawezi.
T. h. mosychlus (Fruhstorfer, 1913). N. Borneo, Sabah, Sarawak.
T. h. neoris (Rothschild, 1908). Binongka, Joekan Bessi Islands, south-east of Sulawezi.
T. h. nereides (Fruhstorfer, 1906). Bawean I. Java Sea, off the coast of Java.
T. h. nereis (Doherty, 1891). Engano I. Southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia.
T. h. orientis (Parrott, 1991). S.Borneo, Kalimantan.
T. h. propinquus (Rothschild, 1895). Sumba I, Sumbawa I.
T. h. rayae (Deslisle, 1991). Belitung Isl. East coast of Sumatra.
T. h. sagittatus (Fruhstorfer, 1896). Lombok I.
T. h. spilotia (Rothschild, 1908). S.China (Yunnan, Sichuan, Hunan, Heinan, Guangdon, Fujian, Hongkong).
T. h. sugimotoi (Hanafusa, 1992). Karimata I. West coast of Borneo.
T. h. typhaon (Rothschild, 1908). NW. Sumatra.
T. h. venus (Hayami, 1991). S. Natuna Arhcipelago, Subi. Malaysia to the W. Borneo.

Similar species: Troides (Hübner, 1819). 34 species.

GBIF: Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
World distribution:
Common Birdwing, Troides helena (Linnaeus, 1758).

íNaturalist.org
began as the Master's final project of Nate Agrin, Jessica Kline,
and Ken-ichi Ueda at UC Berkeley's School of Information in 2008.
Common Birdwing, Troides helena (Linnaeus, 1758).

Troides (Hübner, 1819) Birdwings. Wikipedia.
Birdswings, Ornithoptera;
Er blandt verdens største dagsommerfugle.

Butterflies of Bali (Indonesia)
From iNaturalist. Location of Bali, Indonesia:

Butterflies of Bali (Indonesia): To document the butterflies species in the indonesian island of Bali (and neighbour islands of Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan), as well as their distribution and abundance, with an aim to assess the conservation status of each species. Butterflies: 284 species.

Butterflies in Indonesia

Butterflies in Indonesia: Just to remind ourselves that our Conservation Projects protect not only habitat but myriads of insects as well as animals. Butterflies are a delight at all the Ecolodges, especially in Sumatra, where I once saw 50 species in one small area in one hour, at just the right season of rain and sun.
The forest butterflies of Kalimantan often come to the bananas laid out on the feeding platforms for the orangutans of Tanjung Puting National Park.

Flores has a wide variation in. Terrain, and so in butterflies. There is a small Insectarium at the National Park headquarters for the Kelimutu Crater Lakes Park, with some specimens.
The book ‘ 101 Butterflies of The Lowlands of Indonesia’. (Meryl Wilson 2010) describes the butterflies, their caterpillars and host plants where known. It covers the most widespread species ,but does not include the magnificent butterflies of Indonesian Papua, or those from the Banti Murung Butterfly National Park near Maros, outside Makassar, South Sulawesi.

List of endemic butterflies of Indonesia
Wikipedia: List of endemic butterflies of Indonesia. List of butterflies: 1411 species.

List of butterflies of Sulawesi
Wikipedia: List of endemic butterflies of Sulawesi.

This is a list of butterflies of Sulawesi. This list includes the species found on the main island of Sulawesi, but also the species found in the Sulawesi region, which also includes the Sangihe and Talaud archipelagoes, the Banggai and Sula archipelagoes, Buton and nearby islands, the Tukangbesi archipelago and islands to the south including Selayar Island and Kalao Island. Sulawesi is in Wallacea sharing fauna between the Australasian realm and the Indomalayan realm. Sulawesi shows signs of both.
List of butterflies: About 560 species are known from Sulawesi.
Of these, 239 are endemic to the region.

List of butterflies of Peninsular Malaysia
Wikipedia: List of endemic butterflies of Peninsular Malaysia.

This is a list of butterflies of Peninsular Malaysia. The environment of Malaysia is varied and Malaysia's ecology is megadiverse, with a biodiverse range of flora and fauna found in various ecoregions throughout the country. List of butterflies: 1180 species.

List of butterflies of Papua New Guinea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Location of Papua New Guinea:

This is a list of butterflies of Papua New Guinea. This list includes species recorded from mainland Papua New Guinea, but also all islands that are part of the country, such as the Trobriand Islands, the D'Entrecasteaux Islands, the Louisiade Archipelago and the Bismarck Archipelago. List of butterflies: 320 species.

List of Butterflies of Bali (Indonesia)
From iNaturalist. Location of Bali, Indonesia:

Butterflies of Bali (Indonesia): To document the butterflies species in the indonesian island of Bali (and neighbour islands of Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan), as well as their distribution and abundance, with an aim to assess the conservation status of each species. Butterflies: 284 species.

Butterflies of Bali (Indonesia)
From iNaturalist. Location of Bali, Indonesia:

Butterflies of Bali (Indonesia): To document the butterflies species in the indonesian island of Bali (and neighbour islands of Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan), as well as their distribution and abundance, with an aim to assess the conservation status of each species. Butterflies: 284 species.

Butterflies in Indonesia

Butterflies in Indonesia: Just to remind ourselves that our Conservation Projects protect not only habitat but myriads of insects as well as animals. Butterflies are a delight at all the Ecolodges, especially in Sumatra, where I once saw 50 species in one small area in one hour, at just the right season of rain and sun.
The forest butterflies of Kalimantan often come to the bananas laid out on the feeding platforms for the orangutans of Tanjung Puting National Park.

Flores has a wide variation in. Terrain, and so in butterflies. There is a small Insectarium at the National Park headquarters for the Kelimutu Crater Lakes Park, with some specimens.
The book ‘ 101 Butterflies of The Lowlands of Indonesia’. (Meryl Wilson 2010) describes the butterflies, their caterpillars and host plants where known. It covers the most widespread species ,but does not include the magnificent butterflies of Indonesian Papua, or those from the Banti Murung Butterfly National Park near Maros, outside Makassar, South Sulawesi.

List of endemic butterflies of Indonesia
Wikipedia: List of endemic butterflies of Indonesia. List of butterflies: 1411 species.

List of butterflies of Sulawesi
Wikipedia: List of endemic butterflies of Sulawesi.

This is a list of butterflies of Sulawesi. This list includes the species found on the main island of Sulawesi, but also the species found in the Sulawesi region, which also includes the Sangihe and Talaud archipelagoes, the Banggai and Sula archipelagoes, Buton and nearby islands, the Tukangbesi archipelago and islands to the south including Selayar Island and Kalao Island. Sulawesi is in Wallacea sharing fauna between the Australasian realm and the Indomalayan realm. Sulawesi shows signs of both.
List of butterflies: About 560 species are known from Sulawesi.
Of these, 239 are endemic to the region.

List of butterflies of Peninsular Malaysia
Wikipedia: List of endemic butterflies of Peninsular Malaysia.

This is a list of butterflies of Peninsular Malaysia. The environment of Malaysia is varied and Malaysia's ecology is megadiverse, with a biodiverse range of flora and fauna found in various ecoregions throughout the country. List of butterflies: 1180 species.

List of butterflies of Papua New Guinea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Location of Papua New Guinea:

This is a list of butterflies of Papua New Guinea. This list includes species recorded from mainland Papua New Guinea, but also all islands that are part of the country, such as the Trobriand Islands, the D'Entrecasteaux Islands, the Louisiade Archipelago and the Bismarck Archipelago. List of butterflies: 320 species.

List of Butterflies of Bali (Indonesia)
From iNaturalist. Location of Bali, Indonesia:

Butterflies of Bali (Indonesia): To document the butterflies species in the indonesian island of Bali (and neighbour islands of Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan), as well as their distribution and abundance, with an aim to assess the conservation status of each species. Butterflies: 284 species.