| Papilio polytes romulus (Common
Mormon) |
 The
Common Mormon is one of the "Swallowtail" papilionidae species which can
be found in the forests as well as in cultivated urban areas in Singapore.
The food plants of the caterpillar are mainly the common Lime Plant and
the Indian Curry Leaf Plant (Murraya koenigii). The female of the
species is dimorphic, and the one pictured here, f-polytes, is a good mimic
of the Common Rose. As the Common Mormon is not impalatable to birds, the
female mimics the poisonous Common Rose for protection from its predators.
The female Common Mormon shown above was a freshly hatched individual and was flying around and resting with open wings in an attempt to dry them. This photograph was taken in the forest fringe of a nature reserve area. The male Common Mormon was shot in a Butterfly Park where it demonstrates the typical in-flight feeding pose, where the forewings are in motion whilst the hindwings are almost still.
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