Common Mormon (玉帶鳳蝶)

The Common Mormon (Papilio polytes) is a common species of swallowtail butterfly. The female of the Common Mormon is polymorphic.

http://www.whatsoever.hk/butterflies/Common.Mormon.2.jpg
Butterfly in black and white with red markings
Photo taken at Eagle's Nest Nature Trail (鷹巢山自然教育徑), Tai Po Road, Hong Kong


It is fond of visiting flowers. Its long proboscis permits it to feed from flowers having long corollar tubes.

http://www.whatsoever.hk/butterflies/Common.Mormon.jpg

Because of the different forms of the females, the common name is an allusion to the polygamy formerly practiced by members of the Mormon sect according to Harish Gaonkar, of the Natural History Museum in London.

Data Source: Wikipedia

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