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{{Short description|Species of butterfly}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Blue Mormon
| image = Asif N Khan Background (62)-0111.jpg
| image_caption = Blue Mormon at [[Sanjay Gandhi National Park]], [[India]]
| taxon = Papilio polymnestor
| authority = [[Pieter Cramer|Cramer]], 1775
}}
'''''Papilio polymnestor''''', the '''blue Mormon''',<ref name=Smetacek/><ref name=funet/> is a large [[swallowtail butterfly]] found in [[south India]] and [[Sri Lanka]].<ref name=Smetacek>{{Cite book|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287980260|title=A Synoptic Catalogue of the Butterflies of India |last1=Varshney |first1=R.K. |last2=Smetacek|first2=Peter|publisher=Butterfly Research Centre, Bhimtal & Indinov Publishing, New Delhi|year=2015|isbn=978-81-929826-4-9|location=New Delhi|pages=8|doi=10.13140/RG.2.1.3966.2164}}</ref><ref name=funet>{{cite web |last=Savela |first=Markku |url=http://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/papilionidae/papilioninae/papilio/#polymnestor |title=''Papilio polymnestor'' Cramer, [1775] |website=Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms |access-date=July 3, 2018}}</ref> It is the "state butterfly" of the Indian state of [[Maharashtra]]. With a wingspan of 120–150 mm, it is the fourth largest butterfly of India.<ref name="Maharashtra gets 'State butterfly'">{{cite news|last1=Rashid|first1=Omar|title=Maharashtra gets 'State butterfly'|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-otherstates/maharashtra-gets-state-butterfly/article7343850.ece|access-date=23 June 2015|work=The Hindu|date=23 June 2015}}</ref>

==Description==
[[File:Blue Mormon Papilio polymnestor (3986294976).jpg|thumb|left|Underside of blue Mormon]]
{{Entomology glossary hatnote}}
Males have the upper wings rich velvety black. The forewing has a postdiscal band composed of internervular broad blue streaks gradually shortened and obsolescent anteriorly, not extended beyond interspace 6.<ref name="bingham"/>

The hindwing has the terminal three-fourths beyond a line crossing the apical third of the cell pale blue, or greyish blue, with superposed postdiscal, subterminal and terminal series of black spots—the postdiscal spots elongate, inwardly conical; the subterminal oval, placed in the interspaces, the terminal irregular, placed along the apices of the veins and anteriorly coalescing more or less with the subterminal spots.<ref name="bingham"/>

The underside is black with and on the base of the cell in the forewing is an elongate spot of dark red; the postdiscal transverse series of streaks as on the upperside but grey tinged with ochraceous and extended right up to the costa; in some specimens similar but narrow streaks also in the cell. Hindwing with five irregular small patches of red at base, the outer three-fourths of the wing grey touched with ochraceous, but generally narrower than the blue on the upperside; the inner margin of the grey area crosses the wing beyond the cell; the postdiscal and subterminal black spots as on the upperside. In some specimens this grey area is greatly restricted, its inner margin crossing the wing well beyond the apex of the cell; the subterminal spots merged completely with the terminal spots and form a comparatively broad terminal black band. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen blackish brown.<ref name="bingham"/>
[[File:Papilio polymnestor-Kadavoor-2016-03-30-001.jpg|left|thumb|Female specimen with crimson streak on the upperside of the forewing]]

Female is very similar but the internervular streaks on the forewing paler, extended into the cell both on the upper and undersides. Hindwing: the pale blue area on the upperside and the corresponding grey area on the underside paler. In some specimens there is a diffuse short crimson streak at the base of the cell of the forewing on the upperside.<ref name="bingham">{{Source-attribution|sentence=yes|{{cite book |last1=Bingham |first1=C.T. |author-link=Charles Thomas Bingham |title=The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma |url=https://archive.org/stream/butterflies02bingiala#page/50/mode/2up/ |volume=II |edition=1st |publisher= [[Taylor & Francis|Taylor and Francis, Ltd.]] |location=London |year=1907|pages=50–51}}}}</ref><ref name=MooreIndica>{{Cite book|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/103496#page/215/mode/1up|title=Lepidoptera Indica. Vol. V|last=Moore|first=Frederic|author-link=Frederic Moore|publisher=Lovell Reeve and Co.|year=1901–1903|location=London|pages=203–205}}</ref>

==Distribution==
This species is endemic to [[India]] and [[Sri Lanka]]. In India it is restricted to the [[Western Ghats]], [[Southern India]] and the east coast. It has been recorded as far north as [[Gujarat]]. It is often seen even in the gardens and sometimes in the middle of busy traffic in large cities such as [[Mumbai]], [[Pune]] and [[Bangalore]]. [[Mark Alexander Wynter-Blyth]] recorded it in [[Madhya Pradesh]], [[Jharkhand]], [[West Bengal]], [[Sikkim]] and Kerala.<ref name=Smetacek/><ref name=funet/>

==Status==
It is common and not thought to be threatened. It occurs throughout the year but more common in the [[monsoon]] and immediately after it.

In [[Sri Lanka]], populations of ''Papilio polymnestor'' have expanded due to the increased availability of its food plants (family [[Rutaceae]]) due to modification of landscapes and in particular cultivation of [[Citrus]]es.<ref name="Fauna_SL">{{cite book |title=The fauna of Sri Lanka: status of taxonomy, research, and conservation |chapter= Species richness, distribution and conservation status of butterflies in Sri Lanka|last1=Perera |first1=W.P.N. |last2=Bambaradeniya |first2=Channa N. B.|editor1-first=Channa N. B. |editor1-last=Bambaradeniya |year=2006 |publisher=IUCN |location=Sri Lanka |isbn=978-955-8177-51-8 |page=55 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dECS8PTrUg4C |access-date=2010-04-13}}</ref>
[[File:Blue Mormon Butterfly.jpg|thumb|Blue Mormon Butterfly, Western Province, Sri Lanka]]

==Habitat==
[[File:Blue Mormon 1.jpg|thumb]]
The [[butterfly]] is most common in heavy rainfall areas, such as [[evergreen]] forests. It is also common in [[deciduous]] forests and wooded urban areas, primarily due to the cultivation of its host plants, i.e. the ''[[Citrus]]'' species.

==Habits==
[[File:Blue mormon (Papilio polymnestor) W IMG 2453.jpg|thumb|left|Sipping nectar from a ''[[Hibiscus]]'' species in [[Goa]], India]]
This butterfly frequents forest paths and streams. The male is fond of sun and avoids the shade. It frequents flowers especially of ''[[Mussaenda frondosa]]'', ''[[Ixora coccinea]]'', ''[[Jasminum]]'' species and ''[[Asystasia gangetica]]''. Periodically raids thicker forest patches, especially where ''[[Atalantia]]'' species are to be found in search of females to mate with. Has a rapid unidirectional flight and frequently changes course, hopping up and down in its flight path. Difficult to catch. Known to bask in the sun. Attracted to damp patch and has greater tolerance to other butterflies and humans while lapping up the mineral rich moisture. Known to visit animal droppings.

The blue Mormon has been recorded as a [[pollination|pollinator]] of cardamom (''[[Elettaria cardamomum]]'').<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sinu |first1=Palatty Allesh |last2=Shivanna |first2=K.R. |url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Pollination+ecology+of+cardamom+%28Elettaria+cardamomum%29+in+the+Western+Ghats%2C+India&btnG= |format=PDF |title=Pollination Ecology of Cardamom (Elettaria Cardamomum) in the Western Ghats, India |journal=Journal of Tropical Ecology |volume=23 |issue=4 |pages=493–496 |date= July 2006 |doi=10.1017/s0266467407004191|s2cid=62900092 }}</ref> It is known to [[mud-puddling|mud-puddle]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mathew |first1=G. |last2=Binoy |first2=C.F. |year=2002 |title= Migration of butterflies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) in the New Amarambalam Reserve Forest of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve |journal=Zoos' Print Journal |volume=17 |issue=8 |pages=844–847 |url= http://www.zoosprint.org/ZooPrintJournal/2002/August/844-847.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929015006/http://www.zoosprint.org/ZooPrintJournal/2002/August/844-847.pdf |archive-date=29 September 2011 |doi=10.11609/jott.zpj.17.8.844-7|doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Life cycle==

===Eggs===
The [[egg (biology)|egg]]s are laid singly on the upper surfaces of the leaves on [[Rutaceae|rutaceous]] plants at ten feet or so above the ground. The newly laid egg is spherical and light green but darkens over time to orange yellow.<ref name="bingham"/>

===Caterpillar===
The newborn [[caterpillar]] makes the eggshell its first meal and then rests on a silken bed that it spins for itself near the edge of a leaf. The little caterpillar mimics a bird dropping with its olive green body and white [[uric acid]]-like markings. The sheen enhances its resemblance to fresh bird dropping. While small in size, this camouflage permits the caterpillar to rest on the centre of a leaf and nibble around the edges. Later its growing size forces it to keep to twigs and the undersides of leaves except when it is feeding on leaves. It moves slowly and haltingly. It has a unique habit of securing its balance by weaving silk on the substratum.<ref name="bingham"/>
[[File:Blue Mormon Butterfly, Western Province, Sri Lanka.jpg|thumb|252x252px|Blue Mormon Butterfly, Western Province, Sri Lanka]]
The caterpillar can be distinguished from the [[common Mormon]], which it resembles, by its larger size, greenish head and a blue streak in the [[Eyespot (mimicry)|eyespot]] in segments 4 to 5. It has a deep red [[osmeterium]].<ref name="bingham"/>

===Pupa===
The [[pupa]] also resembles that of the common Mormon but is much larger and can be easily distinguished by the prominent folds on the lower side of the abdominal protrusion.<ref name="bingham"/>

<gallery>
File:Papilio polymnestor mating pair.jpg|Mating
File:Blue Mormon (Papilio polymnestor) 002 Egg (2016.11.15).jpg|Egg
File:An Egg of Papilio polymnestor Cramer, 1775 – Blue Mormon WLB.jpg|Egg
File:Blue Mormon caterpillar mimicking a bird dropping.jpg|Caterpillar (first instar)
File:Blue Mormon (Papilio polymnestor) 018 Larva (2016.12.03).jpg|Caterpillar
File:Blue Mormon Caterpillar.jpg|Caterpillar (last instar)
File:Blue Mormon Butterfly's Caterpillar.jpg|Caterpillar (last instar)
File:Papilio polymnestor-Kadavoor-2017-05-14-001.jpg|Prepupa
File:Blue Mormon (Papilio polymnestor) 023 Pupa (2016.12.10).jpg|Pupa
File:Blue Mormon Butterfly's Pupa.jpg|Pupa
File:Blue Mormon (Papilio polymnestor) 030 Butterfly (2016.12.18).jpg|Newly emerged
</gallery>

==Food plants==
The larva have been recorded to feed on small [[Rutaceae|rutaceous]] forest trees and large shrubs. The list of host plants includes:
* ''[[Atalantia racemosa]]'' and ''[[Atalantia wightii]]''<ref>Kunte, K. (2006). Additions to known larval host plants of Indian butterflies. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/7414 ''Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society''] 103(1):119-120.</ref>
* ''[[Glycosmis arborea]]''
* ''[[Paramigyna monophylla]]''
* ''[[Citrus grandis]]''
* ''[[Citrus limon]]''
* ''[[Aegle marmelos]]''
* Other ''[[Citrus]]'' cultivars.

==Recognition==
In June 2015, the Blue Mormon was declared as the 'State Butterfly' of the state of [[Maharashtra]] and became the first state in India to have a 'State Butterfly'.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/maharashtra-gets-state-butterfly/article7342955.ece|title=Maharashtra gets 'State butterfly'|last=Rashid|first=Omar|date=2015-06-22|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-10-17|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of butterflies of India (Papilionidae)]]

==References==
<references/>8. Moinuddin (2015). Student of Department of Physics of University of Dhaka.

==General reading==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikispecies}}
* {{cite book |last1=Collins |first1=N. Mark |last2=Morris |first2=Michael G. |title=Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World: The IUCN Red Data Book |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/98674#page/7/mode/1up |year=1985 |publisher=[[International Union for Conservation of Nature|IUCN]] |location=Gland & Cambridge |isbn=978-2-88032-603-6 |via=Biodiversity Heritage Library}}
* {{cite book |last1=Evans |first1=W.H. |author-link=William Harry Evans |title=The Identification of Indian Butterflies |edition=2nd |location=Mumbai, India |publisher=[[Bombay Natural History Society]] |year=1932}}
* {{cite book |last1=Gay |first1=Thomas |last2=Kehimkar |first2=Isaac David |last3=Punetha |first3=Jagdish Chandra |title=Common Butterflies of India |series=Nature Guides |publisher= World Wide Fund for Nature-India by Oxford University Press |location=Bombay, India |year=1992 |isbn=978-0195631647}}
* {{cite book |last=Haribal |first=Meena |title=The Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and Their Natural History |location=Gangtok, Sikkim, India |publisher=Sikkim Nature Conservation Foundation |year=1992}}
* {{cite book |last=Kunte |first=Krushnamegh |title=Butterflies of Peninsular India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cuPPjOMcu_4C |series=India, A Lifescape |location=Hyderabad, India |publisher=Universities Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-8173713545}}
* {{cite book|last=Wynter-Blyth |first=Mark Alexander |author-link=Mark Alexander Wynter-Blyth |title=Butterflies of the Indian Region |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yEkgAQAAMAAJ |year=1957 |location=Bombay, India |publisher=[[Bombay Natural History Society]] |isbn=978-8170192329}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1317905}}

[[Category:Papilio|polymnestor]]
[[Category:Butterflies of Asia]]
[[Category:Butterflies described in 1775]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Pieter Cramer]]
[[Category:Symbols of Maharashtra]]

Papilio polymnestor - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article