Agehana maraho (Shiraki & Sonan, 1934)

Characteristics

It is a large swallowtail butterfly. Recognized as Taiwan’s “national butterfly” and known for its rear-protruding hind wings and red crescent mottles, the butterfly is one of only two species of the genus Agehana — the only class of the Papilionidae family that is native to East Asia. The adult can spread wings to a width of 9.5-10 cm that has forewings with a shade of dark brown, a white big spot in the middle chamber of hindwings, and red crescent markings in the margin. It is distinguished from other butterfly species featuring primarily an especially broad protrusion at the tail end, internal penetration through the third and fourth wing veins and red color. Both the female and male have the same pattern, but the female is larger in body size.

Habits

The adults are active from April to August, reaching two climaxes between April-May and July-August, respectively. They fly in low speed and graceful manners. In addition to flying along the cliffs to suck honey, they also often drink water in the river wetlands. They ovulate on the Sassafras randaiense of the family Lauraceae, on which the larvae would feed. Their life cycle is divided into five stages. For the 1-4 stages, the larvae appear like bird droppings, while at the last stage, their body color will turn into emerald green. The pupae are brownish gray, fixed on twigs with the cerci and hanging filaments. They spend the winter in chrysalises.

Conservation status

The broad-tailed swallowtail butterfly is classified as an endangered species in Taiwan and listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list of threatened species.The butterfly only feeds on Sassafras randaiense, a vulnerable species of laura tree native to Taiwan that is sparsely distributed across the nation’s Central Mountain Range.The butterfly’s scientific name “maraho” was derived from the Atayal language, meaning “chieftain” or “leader,” suggesting the unparalleled status of the broad-tailed swallowtail among Taiwan’s butterflies. The Bureau of Forestry in Taiwan has designated 55,991 hectares of forest in Hsinchu County’s Wufeng Township and Miaolin County’s Taian Township as the butterfly’s conservation area.

Citation: https://www.ntm.gov.tw/en/collection_166_2220_71639.html

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2015/12/05/2003634077