Five bar Swordtail

A Sri Lankan Endemic Birdwing Butterfly Leaving Its Chrysalis

Five bar Swordtail (Pathysa antiphates ceylonicus)

One of the rarest butterfly of the island. It is confine to the few localities in the southwestern wet lowland forests. Where also it occurs probably in a certain period of the year, roughly from January to end of March. Few earlier records also available from the dry zone especially from the Uva province.  Five bar Swordtail usually flies around midday. Therefore it is also known as "12 O' clock fly". Males often settle on wet patches in stream beds and jungle paths as well as the decaying animal matters.  No larval host plants have been discovered of it from Sri Lanka.

Common Jay (Graphium doson)

Common butterfly widely distributed throughout the country except in the far north. Males often settle in large numbers on wet patches on gravel roads, river beds, etc. It takes parts in migrations and sometimes flies in great numbers. The larva feeds on Polyalthia cerasoides [Patta-Ul-Kenda/පට්ට උල්කෙන්ද], Polyalthia korinti [Mi-Wenna, Ul-Kenda/මීවැන්න/උල් කෙන්ද], Uvaria macropoda and Miliusa indica*[Kekili-Messa/කැකිලිමැස්ස] of the family Annonaceae

* Larva fed on tender leaves and flowers only in the lab.

Common Bluebottle (Graphium sarpedon teredon)

Common butterfly flies all the year round in the southwestern wet lowlands up to the hills. Rather local and uncommon in the dry lowlands and absent in the extreme north. Males often come to mud puddling. It has a fast flight. Bluebottle does not take part in migrations. Larva feeds on leaves of Cinnamomum verum (කුරුදු), Cinnamomum capparu-coronde (කපුරු කුරුඳු), Cinnamomum dubium (සෙවල කුරුඳු), Cinnamomum ovalifolium, Neolitsea cassia (කුඩුදවුල/දවුල් කුරුදු), Neolitsea fuscata (කුඩු දවුල) , Litsea gardneri (තලන්), Actinodaphne stenophylla (නික දවුල), Persea americana (අලිගැට පේර/Avacado/Alligator pear), Actinodaphne glauca and Neolitsea Zeylanica of the family Lauraceae.

Common Rose (Pachliopta aristolochiae ceylonica)

Common butterfly occurs most parts of the island, throughout the year. It takes part in migrations and males sometimes seen mud-puddling. Its larval host plants are Aristolochia indica[සප්සඳ], A.bracteolata, Thottea siliquosa [තපසර බුලත්] and Aristolochia ringens (තාරාමල්) of the family Aristolochiaceae

Common Banded Peacock (Papilio crino)

Common butterfly flies all over the island up to about 1000m asl. It is more common in the dry zone. Common Banded Peacock is a migratory butterfly and Ormiston recorded an interesting observation of large flight of these butterflies continues 3-4 days straight out to the sea at Galle. He believed that enormous numbers of  them must have perished in the sea (Ormiston  W., 1924). Male Common Banded Peacock often settles on mud patches and river beds to absorb minerals. Its larva feeds on Chloroxylon swietenia[Satinwood/බුරුත], Clausena indica [මීගොං කරපිංචා] and Toddalia asiatica[කුඩු මිරිස්] 

References:
Ormiston  W., 1924 The Butterflies of Ceylon, H.W.Cave & Co., Colombo 1924, AES Reprint New Delhi, 2003

Common Mime (Papilio clytia lankeswara)

Common Mime is a very common butterfly distributed in all climatic zones from lowlands to about 700m a.s.l. It occurs in two forms 'white' and 'brown'. White form [form dissimilis] mimics one of the poisonous 'Blue Tigers' (Tirumala (1)(2) or Parantica(1)(2)) and Brown form [form clytia] 'Crows' (Euploe spp.(1)(2)(3)(4)) Larval food plants are Litsea glutinosa [බෝ මී], Cinnamomum verum [කුරුඳු], Alseodaphne semecarpifolia [වෑවරණි], Litsea longifolia [රත්කෑලිය] Neolitsea cassia[Wild cinnamon/දවුල් කුරුඳු\කුඩු දවුල] and Cinnamomum dubium of the family Lauraceae

Red Helen (Papilio helenus)

Red Helen is a rare butterfly found in wet zone forests in all the year round. The males are fond of settling on damp earth on the roads and stream beds. When resting with open wings the forwing is drawn back over the yellow color patches of the hind wing as shown in the picture above, probably to avoid unwanted attraction of predators. Larva feeds on Zanthoxylum tetraspermum, Citrus japonica, and Kudumiris[කුඩුමිරිස්] (Toddalia asiatica) in the field.(Larva also fed on Citrus madurensis [නස් නාරන්] and Citrus sinensis leaves when offered in the lab.)

Ceylon Rose/Sri Lankan Rose (Pachliopta jophon)

Sri Lankan or Ceylon Rose is an uncommon endemic butterfly found in the low country wet zone forest areas. Its larval host plant is Thapasara Bulath[තපසර බුලත්] (Thottea siliquosa).  

Tailed Jay/Green Jay (Graphium Agamemnon menides)

Tailed Jay is a common butterfly found in all elevations of the country throughout the year. However it is much common in the wet zone. It flies very fast and only stops a very short time at each flower. Also when disturbed it take off vertically to considerable height before fly away. So that Tailed Jay is considered as a very difficult butterfly to photograph. The larva feeds on various plants of family Annonaceae such as Annona muricata (කටු අනෝදා/කටු ආත්තා/රට අනෝදා/Soursop), Annona reticulata (අනෝදා/වැලි ආත්තා), Annona squamosa(සීනි ආතා/අනෝදා/Sugar Apple), Annona glabra (වෙල් ආතා/Pond Apple/Alligator Apple/Monkey Apple), Annona cherimola, Uvaria zeylanica (පාලඟ/පලු කන්),Uvaria macropoda, Uvaria narum, Uvaria semecarpifolia, Uvaria sphenocarpa, Artabotrys zeylanicus (කලු බඹර වැල්/පටික වැල්/යකඩ වැල්), Artabotrys hexapetalus, Polyalthia korinti (මීවැන්න/උල් කෙන්ද), Polyalthia longifolia (දේවදාර/ඊ පෙත්ත/ඕවිළ/ඕලිල), Polyalthia suberosa, Polyalthia cerasoides, Miliusa indica (කෙකිළි මැස්ස/කුකුළු මැස්ස), Miliusa tomentosa, Goniothalamus gardneri and Xylopia championii. Tailed Jay larva also feeds on සපු/Champak (Michelia champaca)  and  Persea americana (අලිගැට පේරAvacado/Alligator pear). 

Blue Mormon (Papilio polymnestor parinda)

Blue mormon is a common butterfly flying throughout the country in all elevations. It is one of the largest butterflies in the island which second only to the female Bird wing (Troides helena).  Male often settles on damp earth and river beds to absorb minerals. Larva feeds on varies plants of family Rutaceae (Atalantia ceylanica [වල් දෙහි/යකිනාරන්/‍යක් දෙහි], Atalantia monophylla, Atalantia rotundifolia, Citrus aurantiifolia [දෙහි], Citrus maxima, Citrus reticulata ,Citrus sinensis and Paramignya monophylla)

Crimson Rose (Pachliopta hector)

Crimson rose is a common butterfly of all over the low country up to mid hills of about 1000ft a.s.l. However it is much plentiful in dry zone than in other areas, even during driest of seasons. They fly close to the ground and flight is fast and straight. Female can be distinguished from the male (see above picture) by having much duller yellowish color spots on the upper side of the hind wing. Also female is generally larger than males. It take part in migrations and Ormiston recorded of seeing fair number of crimson rose butterflies “far out to sea, off the Indian and Ceylon coasts” in November 1914 and stated further that several of them came on board the ship. Its feeding plants in larval stage are Aristolochia bracteolata, Aristolochia indica (සප්සඳ) and Aristolochia ringens (තාරාමල්) of the family Aristolochiaceae.

Lime Butterfly( Papilio demoleus)

Common butterfly of all over the island below 1500ft throughout the year. It occasionally joins with migratory flight in great numbers and may then be seen at higher elevations. Larva feed on various plants of Rutaceae family (Limonia acidissima(දිවුල්/Woodapple), Citrus auruntifolia (දෙහි/Lime), Citrus limon, Citrus sinensis, Chloroxylon swietenia, Atalantia ceylanica [වල් දෙහි/යකිනාරන්/‍යක් දෙහි], Aegle marmelos [බෙලි], Ruta chalepensis, Glycosmis pentaphylla [දොඩම් පනා], Euodia suaveolens and Pamburus missionis [පඹුරු] ) and Cullen corylifolium of Fabaceae family.

Common Mormon (Papilio Polytes)

Common butterfly occurs all over the island though becoming scarce at higher elevations above 2000ft. There are three varieties of female of this butterfly. One similar to the male and known as cyrus and second one mimic Crimson Rose (Pachliopta hector) and has been named as Romulus. Third one is known as Stichius and which mimic Common Rose (Pachliopta aristolochiae). Food plants of Common Mormon larva are Toddalia asiatica (කුඩු මිරිස්ස/Kudu-mirissa) Atalantia ceylanica (වල් දෙහි/යකිනාරන්/‍යක් දෙහි) , Murraya paniculata (ඇට්ටේරියා/Orange jasmine), Glycosmis pentaphylla (දොඩම් පනා), Glycosmis mauritiana, Glycosmis angustifolia, Micromelum minutum (වල් කරපිංචා), Limonia acidissima (දිවුල්) and Pleiospermium alatum when it occurs in jungles. It also favored all type of citrus trees such as Citrus aurantiifolia (දෙහි/True Lime/Lime), Citrus limon, Citrus maxima, Citrus sinensis and also Murraya koenigii (කරපිංචා). Common Mormon is considered as a migratory species and joins the flights in great numbers usually in November to December.