An earlier version of the life history of the Fivebar Swordtail can be found by clicking this link.
Butterfly Biodata:
Genus: Graphium Scopoli, 1777
Species: antiphates Cramer, 1775
Subspecies: itamputi Butler, 1885
Wingspan of Adult Butterfly: 55-70mm
Local Caterpillar Host Plant: Uvaria grandiflora (Annonaceae).
Physical Description of Adult Butterfly:
The Fivebar Swordtail has a long and sword-like tail at vein 4 on the hindwing. On the upperside, the wings are white with a series of black stripes extending from the costa of the forewing. In the distal and basal areas, the inter-stripe space is yellowish green. The tornal area is greyish on the hindwing. On the underside, the forewing is marked as above, but the hindwing has its basal half green with black stripes and spots, and its distal half yellowish orange with small embedded black spots. The body is white in ground colour and yellowish orange dorso-laterally. There is also a lateral band of black spots, contiguous for most segments.
Field Observations of Butterfly Behaviour:
The Fivebar Swordtail is moderately common in Singapore. It is essentialy a forest denizen. The adults are strong and swift flyers. When in flight, they can easily be mistaken as white Pierid butterflies. The adults have been observed to visit flowers for nectar. The male is usually photographed puddling on damp ground in the nature reserve.
Early Stages:
With its wide distribution in the region outside Singapore, early stages of the Fivebar Swordtail have been documented earlier, and its several host plants in the Annonaceae family have been identified by researchers and enthusiasts. In Singapore, the early stages of the Fivebar Swordtail have been found to feed on Uvaria grandiflora, a plant in the Annonaceae family. Eggs and caterpillars of the Fivebar Swordtail are typically found on young and maturing leaves of this host at low heights. The caterpillar feeds on these young and maturing leaves of the host plant. In all instars, the Fivebar Swordtail caterpillar possesses osmeterium (a forked fleshy organ) in the prothorax. Usually hidden, the pale greenish osmeterium can be everted rapidly and emit a foul-smelling secretion when the caterpillar is disturbed physically.
Local host plant, Uvaria grandiflora.
The eggs of the Fivebar Swordtail are laid singly on young leaves of the host plant, typically on the upperside. Repeated oviposition visits could result in two or more eggs being observed on the same leaf. The spherical egg is initially creamy white with a diameter of about 1.0-1.1mm. As it matures, it gradually turns pale yellow.
Eggs laid on young leaves of Uvaria grandiflora in a nature park.
Two views of an egg of the Fivebar Swordtail.
Two views of a mature egg of the Fivebar Swordtail. Note the outline of the head capsule and the mandibles which are now visible through the egg shell.
Three views of a newly hatched Fivebar Swordtail nibbling away the remnant of the egg shell.
The egg takes about 3 days to hatch, and the newly hatched has a body length of about 2.2-2.3mm. The entire egg shell is consumed by the newly hatched as its first meal. The body has a white ground colour and bearing segmental rings which are initially pale greyish green but turning dark green to black gradually and this happens even as the egg shell is being consumed. A pair of whitish lateral spines can be found on each of the three thoracic segments, and another whitish pair at the anal segment. These spines bear tuffs of dark setae. The body also features rows of moderately long dorsal-lateral setae with forked-tips. The head capsule is yellowish brown.
Two views of a Fivebar Swordtail caterpillar, early in this stage, length: 3mm.
Two views of a 1st instar caterpillar, length: 4.2mm.
A 1st instar caterpillar of the Fivebar Swordtail sighted in the field.
Between feeds, the Fivebar Swordtail caterpillar of all instars rests on the upper leaf surface, usually alongside the midrib. After about 2-2.5 days of feeding, the 1st instar caterpillar grows to a length of about 5.5mm. The moult to the 2nd instar takes place after a period of inactivity.
Two views of a late 1st instar caterpillar, dormant prior to its moult, length: 4.9mm.
A newly moulted 2nd instar caterpillar.
In the 2nd instar, unlike other Graphium spp. (such as the Common Jay and Common Bluebottle), the thoracic segments are only slightly more enlarged from the 2nd to 3rd segment. The head capsule has changed colour to yellowish orange. The dark segmental rings are narrower and additional transverse yellowish rings appear. The body setae are short and whitish, and are no longer forked at the tip. This instar lasts for about days, and has the body length increased up to about 8-8.5mm.
Two views of a 2nd instar Fivebar Swordtail caterpillar, early in this stage, length: 6.75mm.
Two views of a 2nd instar Fivebar Swordtail caterpillar, length: 7.3mm.
A 2nd instar Fivebar Swordtail caterpillar observed in a nature park.
The 3rd instar caterpillar resembles the 2nd instar caterpillar mostly, but has the three thoracic pairs of spines turning all black and more pointed. Some specimens has lesser extent of yellowish coloration, and some appear pale greenish. In about 2-2.5 days, the caterpillar grows to about 14-17mm in length before the moult to the 4th instar takes place.
Two views of a 3rd instar caterpillar, early in this stage, length: 10mm.
Two views of a 3rd instar caterpillar, length: 12mm.
The body of the 4th instar caterpillar come in two colour forms: green or brown. The green form is mainly white-based with touches of green or yellow. The brown form is essentially yellowish-brown-based in contrast. As growth progresses in this instar, the dark segmental rings become more diffused and less prominent. The dorsum of the thorax also becomes more greenish in both colour forms. Laterally, there is a green or pale brown band passing through the spiracles. This instar lasts about 2.5-3 days with the body length reaching about 23.5-25.5mm.
Two views of an early 4th instar caterpillar, green form, length: 14.5mm.
Two views of an early 4th instar caterpillar, brown form, length: 15.5mm.
Two views of a late 4th instar caterpillar, green form, dormant prior to its moult, length: 23.5mm.
Two views of a late 4th instar caterpillar, brown form, dormant prior to its moult, length: 25.5mm.
The 5th instar caterpillar resembles the late 4th instar caterpillar initially, but with all three pairs of spines much reduced in size. The reduction is most extreme in the prothoracic pair which is now minuscule and also decolorized to the body base colour. There is a blue circular patch at the base of each of the mesothoracic and metathoric pairs of spines.
Two views of a 5th instar caterpillar, early in this stage, green form, length: 27mm.
Two views of a 5th instar caterpillar, early in this stage, brown form, length: 27mm.
A green form 5th instar Fivebar Swordtail caterpillar found in the field.
A green form early 5th instar Fivebar Swordtail caterpillar found in the field assuming an alert stance.
As growth progresses in the 5th and final instar, the caterpillar loses the segmental ring markings. Instead, diffuse greenish dorsal bands and oblique lateral stripes adorn the body surface which also bears numerous, tiny, whitish specks. Some specimens are more pinky in colour tone whilst others more greenish. In rare cases, the colour tone could be brownish instead. The dorsum of the meso- and metathorax becomes dominated by large greenish patches. The 5th instar lasts for 5-7 days, and the body length reaches 43-47mm.
Two views of a 5th instar caterpillar, with pinky body colour tone, length: 41mm.
Two views of a 5th instar caterpillar, with greenish body colour tone, length: 43mm.
A late green form 5th instar caterpillar observed in a nature park.
Toward the end of the 5th instar, the body gradually shortens in length and turns golden yellow. The caterpillar wanders around for a pupation site and eventually comes to rest on the underside of a stem. Here the caterpillar prepares and secures itself with a a silk pad and a silk girdle.
Two views of a late 5th instar Fivebar Swordtail caterpillar, still mobile and seeking a pupation site.
Two views of a pre-pupatory larva of the Fivebar Swordtail.
Pupation takes place a day later. The pupa is pale lime green, about 27-28mm in length and has a short and obtusely pointed mesothoracic horn. The abdomen has two dorsal carinae which are pale brownish and run dorso-laterally and continuously to the tip of the mesothoracic horn. Reddish brown bands and stripes run from mesothoracic horn to the anterior segment and laterally back along the edge of the wing case.
A Fivebar Swordtail caterpillar moulting to its pupal stage. [Change to HD or 4k video setting for best view quality.]
Two views of a pupa of the Fivebar Swordtail.
A fresh pupa of the Fivebar Swordtail observed in the field.
The pupal period lasts for 11-12 days, and the pupa turns black in the wing pads the night before eclosion. The whitish green markings on the forewings are visible through the pupal skin at this stage. The adult butterfly emerges the next day to commence the adult phase of its life cycle. It is noteworthy that some pupae of Fivebar Swordtail could lie dormant for a much longer period of a few months before eclosion. This has been observed in home breeding settings in Malaysia by L C Goh and locally in Singapore by H Tan.
Two views of a mature pupa of the Fivebar Swordtail.
The eclosion event of a Fivebar Swordtail butterfly. [Change to HD or 4k video setting for best view quality.]
A newly eclosed Fivebar Swordtail resting on its pupal case.
References:Genus: Graphium Scopoli, 1777
Species: antiphates Cramer, 1775
Subspecies: itamputi Butler, 1885
Wingspan of Adult Butterfly: 55-70mm
Local Caterpillar Host Plant: Uvaria grandiflora (Annonaceae).
Physical Description of Adult Butterfly:
The Fivebar Swordtail has a long and sword-like tail at vein 4 on the hindwing. On the upperside, the wings are white with a series of black stripes extending from the costa of the forewing. In the distal and basal areas, the inter-stripe space is yellowish green. The tornal area is greyish on the hindwing. On the underside, the forewing is marked as above, but the hindwing has its basal half green with black stripes and spots, and its distal half yellowish orange with small embedded black spots. The body is white in ground colour and yellowish orange dorso-laterally. There is also a lateral band of black spots, contiguous for most segments.
Field Observations of Butterfly Behaviour:
The Fivebar Swordtail is moderately common in Singapore. It is essentialy a forest denizen. The adults are strong and swift flyers. When in flight, they can easily be mistaken as white Pierid butterflies. The adults have been observed to visit flowers for nectar. The male is usually photographed puddling on damp ground in the nature reserve.
Early Stages:
With its wide distribution in the region outside Singapore, early stages of the Fivebar Swordtail have been documented earlier, and its several host plants in the Annonaceae family have been identified by researchers and enthusiasts. In Singapore, the early stages of the Fivebar Swordtail have been found to feed on Uvaria grandiflora, a plant in the Annonaceae family. Eggs and caterpillars of the Fivebar Swordtail are typically found on young and maturing leaves of this host at low heights. The caterpillar feeds on these young and maturing leaves of the host plant. In all instars, the Fivebar Swordtail caterpillar possesses osmeterium (a forked fleshy organ) in the prothorax. Usually hidden, the pale greenish osmeterium can be everted rapidly and emit a foul-smelling secretion when the caterpillar is disturbed physically.
The eggs of the Fivebar Swordtail are laid singly on young leaves of the host plant, typically on the upperside. Repeated oviposition visits could result in two or more eggs being observed on the same leaf. The spherical egg is initially creamy white with a diameter of about 1.0-1.1mm. As it matures, it gradually turns pale yellow.
The egg takes about 3 days to hatch, and the newly hatched has a body length of about 2.2-2.3mm. The entire egg shell is consumed by the newly hatched as its first meal. The body has a white ground colour and bearing segmental rings which are initially pale greyish green but turning dark green to black gradually and this happens even as the egg shell is being consumed. A pair of whitish lateral spines can be found on each of the three thoracic segments, and another whitish pair at the anal segment. These spines bear tuffs of dark setae. The body also features rows of moderately long dorsal-lateral setae with forked-tips. The head capsule is yellowish brown.
Between feeds, the Fivebar Swordtail caterpillar of all instars rests on the upper leaf surface, usually alongside the midrib. After about 2-2.5 days of feeding, the 1st instar caterpillar grows to a length of about 5.5mm. The moult to the 2nd instar takes place after a period of inactivity.
In the 2nd instar, unlike other Graphium spp. (such as the Common Jay and Common Bluebottle), the thoracic segments are only slightly more enlarged from the 2nd to 3rd segment. The head capsule has changed colour to yellowish orange. The dark segmental rings are narrower and additional transverse yellowish rings appear. The body setae are short and whitish, and are no longer forked at the tip. This instar lasts for about days, and has the body length increased up to about 8-8.5mm.
The 3rd instar caterpillar resembles the 2nd instar caterpillar mostly, but has the three thoracic pairs of spines turning all black and more pointed. Some specimens has lesser extent of yellowish coloration, and some appear pale greenish. In about 2-2.5 days, the caterpillar grows to about 14-17mm in length before the moult to the 4th instar takes place.
The body of the 4th instar caterpillar come in two colour forms: green or brown. The green form is mainly white-based with touches of green or yellow. The brown form is essentially yellowish-brown-based in contrast. As growth progresses in this instar, the dark segmental rings become more diffused and less prominent. The dorsum of the thorax also becomes more greenish in both colour forms. Laterally, there is a green or pale brown band passing through the spiracles. This instar lasts about 2.5-3 days with the body length reaching about 23.5-25.5mm.
The 5th instar caterpillar resembles the late 4th instar caterpillar initially, but with all three pairs of spines much reduced in size. The reduction is most extreme in the prothoracic pair which is now minuscule and also decolorized to the body base colour. There is a blue circular patch at the base of each of the mesothoracic and metathoric pairs of spines.
As growth progresses in the 5th and final instar, the caterpillar loses the segmental ring markings. Instead, diffuse greenish dorsal bands and oblique lateral stripes adorn the body surface which also bears numerous, tiny, whitish specks. Some specimens are more pinky in colour tone whilst others more greenish. In rare cases, the colour tone could be brownish instead. The dorsum of the meso- and metathorax becomes dominated by large greenish patches. The 5th instar lasts for 5-7 days, and the body length reaches 43-47mm.
Toward the end of the 5th instar, the body gradually shortens in length and turns golden yellow. The caterpillar wanders around for a pupation site and eventually comes to rest on the underside of a stem. Here the caterpillar prepares and secures itself with a a silk pad and a silk girdle.
Pupation takes place a day later. The pupa is pale lime green, about 27-28mm in length and has a short and obtusely pointed mesothoracic horn. The abdomen has two dorsal carinae which are pale brownish and run dorso-laterally and continuously to the tip of the mesothoracic horn. Reddish brown bands and stripes run from mesothoracic horn to the anterior segment and laterally back along the edge of the wing case.
The pupal period lasts for 11-12 days, and the pupa turns black in the wing pads the night before eclosion. The whitish green markings on the forewings are visible through the pupal skin at this stage. The adult butterfly emerges the next day to commence the adult phase of its life cycle. It is noteworthy that some pupae of Fivebar Swordtail could lie dormant for a much longer period of a few months before eclosion. This has been observed in home breeding settings in Malaysia by L C Goh and locally in Singapore by H Tan.
The eclosion event of a Fivebar Swordtail butterfly. [Change to HD or 4k video setting for best view quality.]
- [C&P4] The Butterflies of The Malay Peninsula, A.S. Corbet and H.M. Pendlebury, 4th Edition, Malayan Nature Society, 1992.
- Butterflies of Thailand, Pisuth Ek-Amnuay, 2nd Edition, 2012.
- A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Singapore, Khew S.K., Ink On Paper Communications, 2010.
- A photographic monograph on Hong Kong Butterflies, vol.2, Hong Kong Lepidopterists Society, 2007.
Text by Horace Tan, Photos by Jonathan Soong, Bobby Mun, Mark Wong, Anthony Wong, Nelson Ong, Loke PF, Simon Sng, Sunny Chir, Khew SK and Horace Tan
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