Checklist of Papilionidae of Vietnam

1. Atrophaneura aidoneus   (Doubleday,1845)
2. Atrophaneura varuna astorion   (Westwood,1842)
3. Atrophaneura varuna zaleucus   (Hewitson,[1865])
4. Byasa adamsoni adamsoni   (Grose-Smith,1886)
5. Byasa confusus mansonensis   (Fruhstorfer,1901)
6. Byasa crassipes   (Oberthur,1893)
7. Byasa dasarada barata   (Rothschild,1908)
8. Byasa hedistus   (Jordan,1928)
9. Byasa latreillei robus   (Jordan,1928)
10. Byasa nevilli   (Wood-Mason,1882)
11. Byasa polyeuctes polyeuctes   (Doubleday,1842)
12. Graphium agamemnon agamemnon   (Linnaeus,1758)
13. Graphium agetes agetes   (Westwood,1843)
14. Graphium antiphates pompilius   (Fabricius,1787)
15. Graphium aristeus hermocrates   (Felder & Felder,1865)
16. Graphium arycles sphinx   (Fruhstorfer,1899)
17. Graphium cloanthus cloanthus   (Westwood,1841)
18. Graphium chironides chironides   (Honrath,1884)
19. Graphium doson axion   (Felder & Felder,1864)
20. Graphium doson robinson   Monastyrskii,2012
21. Graphium eurous
22. Graphium eurous inthanon   Katayama,1986
23. Graphium evemon albociliatis   (Fruhstorfer,1901)
24. Graphium leechi   (Rothschild,1895)
25. Graphium macareus indochinensis   (Fruhstorfer,1901)
26. Graphium mandarinus mandarinus   (Oberthur,1879)
27. Graphium megarus megapenthes   (Fruhstorfer,1902)
28. Graphium mullah kooichii   (Morita,1996)
29. Graphium nomius swinhoei   (Moore,1878)
30. Graphium phidias   (Oberthur,1906)
31. Graphium sarpedon islander   Monastyrskii,2012
32. Graphium sarpedon sarpedon   (Linnaeus,1758)
33. Graphium xenocles kephisos   (Fruhstorfer,1902)
34. Graphium xenocles lindos   (Fruhstorfer,1902)
35. Lamproptera curius curius   (Fabricius,1787)
36. Lamproptera curius walkeri   (Moore,1902)
37. Lamproptera meges annamiticus   (Fruhstorfer,1909)
38. Lamproptera meges virescens   (Butler,[1870])
39. Losaria coon doubledayi   (Wallace,1865)
40. Meandrusa lachinus aribbas   (Fruhstorfer,1909)
41. Meandrusa lachinus helenusoides   Funahashi,2003
42. Meandrusa lachinus sukkiti   Nakano,1995
43. Meandrusa payeni langsonensis   (Fruhstorfer,1901)
44. Meandrusa sciron hajiangensis   Funahashi,2003
45. Pachliopta aristolochiae goniopeltis   (Rothschild,1908)
46. Papilio agestor agestor   Gray,1831
47. Papilio agestor kuangtungensis   Mell,1935
48. Papilio alcmenor alcmenor   Felder & Felder,1865
49. Papilio arcturus arcturus   Westwood,1842
50. Papilio bianor gladiator   Fruhstorfer,[1902]
51. Papilio castor dioscurus   Jordan,1909
52. Papilio castor mahadeva   Moore,[1879]
53. Papilio clytia clytia   Linnaeus,1758
54. Papilio demoleus demoleus   Linnaeus,1758
55. Papilio demoleus malayanus   Wallace,1865
56. Papilio demolion demolion   Cramer,[1776]
57. Papilio dialis doddsi   Janet,1896
58. Papilio elwesi   Leech,1889
59. Papilio epycides hypochra   Jordan,1909
60. Papilio epycides imitata   (Monastyrskii & Devyatkin,2003)
61. Papilio helenus helenus   Linnaeus,1758
62. Papilio krishna charlesi   Fruhstorfer,1902
63. Papilio machaon verityi   Fruhstorfer,1907
64. Papilio memnon agenor   Linnaeus,1758
65. Papilio nephelus chaon   Westwood,1845
66. Papilio noblei   de Niceville,[1889]
67. Papilio paradoxa telearchus   Hewitson,1852
68. Papilio paris paris   Linnaeus,1758
69. Papilio polytes polytes   Linnaeus,1758
70. Papilio polytes romulus   Cramer,[1775]
71. Papilio prexaspes duboisi   Vitalis,1914
72. Papilio protenor euprotenor   Fruhstorfer,1908
73. Papilio slateri marginata   Obertur,1893
74. Papilio slateri slateri   Hewitson,[1859]
75. Papilio xuthus   Linnaeus,1767
76. Teinopalpus aureus eminens   Turlin,1991
77. Teinopalpus aureus shinkaii   Morita,1998
78. Teinopalpus imperialis imperatrix   de Niceville,1899
79. Troides aeacus aeacus   (Felder & Felder,1860)
80. Troides helena cerberus   (Felder & Felder,1865)

Troides, the Troy butterflies or golden birdwing butterflies, of Vietnam

Troides is a genus of golden bird-wing butterflies that belong to Papilionidae family (swallow tail butterflies family). They are large, beautiful butterflies that found in Asia. They are typical with shinning black fore wings and brighten golden hind wings. 

Name of the genus was mention to City of Troy with related to famous Troy War and Trojan Horse. Troy is well-known to both  history and legend, it is an area in north west Turnkey today. Troy is the center of Trojan War, between Greek and Trojan, it lasted about 10 years. The war was finished with a fighting by the way Greek army as they tried to get in to the city via a giant wooden horse. 

Trojan Horse from the movie "Troy" Credit: Warner Bros/Everest/Rex Features  

There are 21 species of the genus Troides butterflies that known around Asia but only 2 of them have been found in Vietnam, Troides helena and Troides aeacus. The later difference the previous species in some part of the hind wings with a mix scales of black and lemon yellow make some grey marking areas. They are quite common species. 

The species Troides helena was named after Helen, in Greek mythology, she was daughter of Zeus and Lenda, and she was the most beautiful woman of the world. Her abduction by Paris brought about the Trojan War.

Diane Kruger as Helen of Troy, in Troy (2004) movie, directed by Wolfgang Petersen

Name of the second species Troides aeacus related to Troy in another story of mythology: two Gods, Apollo and Poseidon, during a time when they were being punished by having to work among men, built the city of Troy for Priam's father, Laomendon. They invited a mortal man, his name is Aeacus, a son of Zeus and Aegina, to help them, since destiny had decreed that Troy would one day be captured in a place built by human hands.

Dorsal view of male of Troides helena Linnaeus, 1758

Dorsal view of male of Troides aeacus C&R. Felder, 1860

Difference of Troides helena (left) and Troides aeacus (right) with the different parts of the hind wings.

Teinopalpus aureus from Vietnam

Teinopalpus aureus is a rare buttefly that found from high elevation forests. In Vietnam, there has been two subspecies of T. aureus, Teinopalpus aureus shinkaii and Teinopalpus aureus eminens. They are Papilionidae butterflies that listed as protected species.

The subspecies Teinopalpus aureus eminens was described by Turlin in 1991, the male holotype was collected from Dong Nai, South Vietnam (elevation is 1500m) and deposited in Nature History Museum, London, England. The subspecies later be found many high land area in South Vietnam: Di Linh and Bidoup National Park, Lam Dong Province, Dak Nong Province, Hon Ba Nature Reserve, Khanh Hoa Provicne. Recently the subspecies also was found in center of Vietnam (Vu Quang National Park, Ha Tinh Province).


Dorsal view of male of Teinopalpus aureus eminens, Dak Nong Province.

Mr. Shinkai collected materials of Teinopalpus aureus from Pia Oac Mountain, Cao Bang Province in 1995 and Tam Dao National Park, Vinh Phuc Province from 1990 - 1998. Based on the materials, Morita described the new species and named after Mr. Shinkai, the paper was published in 1998 with the hotoype is male specimen from Pia Oac, Cao Bang, this holotype is deposited in Morita's collection. Recent year, the subspecies also was recorded from Pu Mat, Nghe An Province, North Center of Vietnam.

A male of Teinopalpus aureus shinkaii Morita, 1998, dorsal view (Tam Dao National Park, Vinh Phuc Province)

Teinopalpus aureus shinkaii and Teinopalpus aureus eminens males can be separated by the shape of yellow triangle cell of the hind wings. The triangle cell of shinkaii is much more larger than it of eminens.

 
Triangle cells of hind wings of T. aureus shinkaii (left) and T. aureus eminens (right).

Epicopeia polydora (Wetwood, 1841) and mimicry of Papilio butterflies

Epicopeia polydora (Wetwood, 1841) is a moth that belong the family Epicopeiidae, they are day flying months. Most of moths are night active insects but some of them fly during the day, one of the well know and common day flying moth is insect of family Zyganidae. Members of Epicopeiidae are not variation as Zyganidae but they are very remarkable with their mimicry of Papilio butterflies. E. polydora has been found in North Vietnam and Thailand as well. They are typical Papilio mimic moth of Epicopeiidae, the wings are mainly deep black as many members of Papilio butterflies and the red, white, shining metallic blue marking on the wings are very similar to Papilio. Size of the moth also same as many large side Papilio. The hind wings of the Epicopeia also elongate when its folded partly, it will be same shape of the hind wing of swallow tail butterflies, Papilio. 

Epicopeida is easy to recognized to be a moth because the structure of their antenna, with comb shape, not slender as it of butterflies. However moth's enemies are not entomologists and they are not easy to separate a moth flying in the day with a Papilio, then to be a thing like Papilio, Epicopeida will not be attracted by predators that don't want to eat Papilio.

The day-flying moths also can be separated by the way and time of their flying, they seem slower than butterflies but normally fly higher than butterflies do.

Epicopeia polydora (Wetwood, 1841) (dorsal view)

Epicopeia polydora (Wetwood, 1841) (ventral view)

Some of black wings Papilio butterflies found from Vietnam:

Papilio elwesi Leech, 1889 This species have been found from North Vietnam and South China. 

Papilio protenor Fruhstorfer, 1908

Papilio paris Linaeus, 1758. 

Papilio memmon Linaeus, 1758

Papilio helenus Linaeus, 1758

Note: Three last Papilio were described by "the father of taxonomy", Carl Linaeus.

Teinopalpus imperialis (Kaiser-i-hind swallowtails) from Vietnam

Kaiser-i-hind swallowtails butterfly (Teinopalpus imperialis) is one of rare Papilioninae, they distributed in high mountain, the males are more common than the females. The matures appear in early morning, at the summit area of high mountain forests. In the first sunlight of the day, the males fly up above the tree canopy and waiting for the females that will fly up later from the forests. A female with larger wings is attractive object of males, as soon as the female appears, males will fly follow her in very high speed for mating purpose. The competition factor of males is speed and the fastest male will get the female. It is an unusual case in insect world, the true of other insect groups, males always more colorful or more attractive, but for this species, males need to be simple shape and speed is the most important to get his own female or to make next generations.

There are 3 among 8 subspecies of Teinopalpus imperialis have been recorded from Vietnam: Teinopalpus imperialis glilessi, Teinopalpus imperialis imperatorix and Teinopalpus imperialis herteri. While two subspecies glilessi and imperatorix are found in North Vietnam, the subspecies herteri only found from South Center of Vietnam. In dorsal view, the males are very similar, the main characteristic to separate males of that three subspecies is black marking on underside of their fore wings.

In Vietnam, the subspecies T. imperialis glilessi found from Lao Cai - Ha Giang mountain forests but T. imperialis imperatorix is rarer, only found from Cao Bang Province.

Teinopalpus imperialis glilessi (Male, dorsal view)

Teinopalpus imperialis glilessi (Male, ventral view)

Teinopalpus imperialis herteri (Male, dorsal view)

Teinopalpus imperialis herteri (Male, ventral view)