Common Rose or Pachliopta aristolochiae

Kerala is notable for its wide variety of flora and fauna. It is calculated that there are 480 varieties of birds and 330 varieties of butterflies here. Of these, 38 varieties of butterflies are endemic to this region.

A butterfly is a flying insect of the order Lepidoptera belonging to one of the super families Hesperioidea and Papilionoidea.

Common Rose (Pachliopta aristolochiae) is found in almost all parts of India except dense and wet forests. They are migratory in nature.

The upper side of the wings of an adult butterfly is black coloured. The fore wings are paler with black-fold stripes and well-marked pale vein-stripes. The hind wings have a prominent tail, five elongate white spots and red sub marginal spots. Female butterflies are paler with broader wings. The wingspan is 80 to 100 mm.

Common Roses fly slowly and deliberately. They prefer the flowers of Fabaceae. The male butterflies emit a strong and pungent odour. This, along with the bright red marks on the wings, keeps predators off from them.

Courtesy: http://birdwingtours.com/