Blue Triangle (Graphium sarpedon)

OTHER NAMES: Common Bluebottle

Latin Etymology: Graphium ("stylus") sarpedon (after a warrior in the Trojan War)

Adult Blue Triangle (subspecies G. s. nipponum) at Osaka Castle Grounds, Japan - July 2013

Featured Subspecies: Graphium sarpedon nipponum
Length: 27mm  /  Wingspan: 55-75mm
NOT EVALUATED IN UK / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

The Blue Triangle (also known as the Common Bluebottle, I'm not using that name as to me the name Bluebottle is associated with flies) is a huge butterfly, with the only UK species to compare being the Purple Emperor and the Swallowtail, unlike those species however, this species is widely spread throughout its range, found even in parks in the middle of major cities like Osaka and Kyoto.  This species has a huge range down the Asia-Australasia side of the pacific.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Genus: Graphium
SUBSPECIES: G. s. sarpedon, G. s. teredon, G. s. semifasciatus, G. s. connectens, G. s. nipponum, G. s. messogis, G. s. islander, G. s. wetterensis, G. s. choredon, G. s. luctatius, G. s. isander

- Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese - アオスジアゲハ  /  Aosujiageha ("Aozuke Swallowtail")

Common resident seen in Summer

 - KYOTO/OSAKA 2013 TRIP: Common in Osaka and Kyoto 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto