The African Giant Swallowtail (Papilio antimachus), with a wingspan between 18 and 23 centimeters, is the largest butterfly in Africa and among the largest butterflies in the world. It is an exceedingly beautiful butterfly with a relatively wide range in Africa’s west and central primary rain forests. It is much rarer in the west of its range (Guinea to Cameroon) than in the eastern parts of its range. However, forest destruction and the lack of protected areas in African forests outside Congo and Zaire are matters for concern.
Papilio antimachus has most recently been assessed for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 1996 and is listed as Data Deficient (DD).
The wings are long and narrow and the ground colour is orange brown with black markings. The shape of the wings differs between the males and females and unusually for a Papilionidae the females are smaller than the males.
Habitat and behaviour
P. antimachus probably stays in forest canopy but males come down to mud-puddle, they flutter close to the ground near rivers and streams while females spend their life high up in the forest canopy. There, they feast on flowers exposed to direct sunlight and are hardly ever seen.
Males can be highly aggressive, and sometimes jostle and fight while defending a territory along a stretch of river. The females show themselves less, continually flying high above the treetops.
Few natural enemies
The butterfly may have no natural enemies because it is very toxic and advertises it with a resemblance of other similar butterflies including the much smaller Acraea. Very little is known about its lifecycle. Researchers speculate that the giant butterfly most likely gets its toxin when its caterpillar ingests the leaves of Strophanthus gratus, a thick, woody liana that winds among the treetops and bears flagrant flowers. The plant contains high concentration of the cardiac glycoside, ouabain, it is odourless but very bitter and extremely toxic. The larvae sequester the toxins which persist through pupation into the imago as an aposematic protection against predation.
Ouabain has long been used by Somali tribesmen and other groups to poison hunting arrows. It is rumoured that a sufficiently concentrated ouabain dart can bring down a Hippopotamus, probably as the result of respiratory or cardiac arrest. In Western medicine, it is used to treat hypotension and cardiac issues.
The amazing photographs of Papilio antimachus in flight were taken by CA Lim. An account of her trip to see the butterfly is below.
Sighting in Bwindi National Park, Uganda
“The butterfly had previously been seen at the lodge where we were staying near Bwindi National Park, Uganda. Around 8 am, the guide led us to the Flame Tree at the Lodge, where the P. antimachus had recently been spotted. We waited patiently, but the clouds had rolled in, occasionally breaking to reveal brief moments of sunlight—hardly ideal weather for the Papilio antimachus to emerge and feed. By 9 am, there was still no sign of the the butterfly, and my anxiety began to mount as we considered the possibility of staying another night to extend our search. Just as doubt began to creep in, excitement filled the air—a Papilio antimachus glided past! Moments later, two more appeared, gracefully circling the Flame Tree.
Photographing them was a real challenge, as they rarely stayed still. They would briefly pause at the tips of the blooms, swiftly dip into the vibrant flowers to feed, then emerge from the blossoms and flit away almost instantly, only to return later and repeat their rhythmic feeding behavior.
After about an hour, the Papilio antimachus vanished. Although we didn’t get the chance to observe the species up close, we were thrilled to capture some clear in-flight photographs.”
