Bug FAQLarge Striped Swordtail
Graphium antheus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Papilionidae
Males have a wingspan of about 65 to 70 mm and females 70 to 75 mm. Key marks include separate transverse bars on the forewing cell, a detached apical spot on the hindwing cell, and a deep black-red spot in the hindwing’s middle cell underneath. It lives in tropical and sub-Saharan Africa, ranging from Sierra Leone to Angola and eastward to British East Africa and Victoria Nyanza.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The forewing cell shows separate transverse bars, while the hindwing cell’s apical spot is fully separated from the median band by black ground colour; underneath, the hindwing middle cell has a deep black and red spot.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Male wingspan 65 to 70 mm; female wingspan 70 to 75 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found in tropical and sub-Saharan Africa.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing year-round, with a peak in November to December.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Flight period is continuous throughout the year, strongest from November to December.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Native from Sierra Leone across to Angola. Also occurs in Delagoa, British East Africa, Natal, Nyassaland and around Victoria Nyanza.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Ab. evombaroides has the hindwing apical spot more fused with the median band; ab. utuba shows a U-shaped spot from united forewing bars; nyassae lacks the black-red spot beneath the hindwing middle cell; lurlinus is larger with broader green markings; mercutius has yellow-white upper markings and distinct red spots.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Same family (Papilionidae)
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Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphium_antheus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.