Papilio grosesmithi misidentification?

[davidklop]

Hi, this is my first post in the forum.

Papilio morondavana and Papilio grosesmithi are two very similar butterfly species endemic to Madagascar. According to this link, Papilio morondavana can be identified by its orange antennae.

But on the images page for Papilio grosesmithi on iNaturalist, most photos actually show it with orange antennae. What identification features would these users be using? Is my link incorrect or has the species been falsely identified multiple times?

Thanks

[cmcheatle]

The IUCN publication ’ Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World: The IUCN Red Data Book’ which is searchable on Google Books and includes text descriptions of both species also indicates this is a difference between the 2.

https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=RomV7uO_t9YC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=Papilio+grosesmithi&ots=0GCjTJdhOA&sig=ubqiepwKR82IoD_rfIEGwZOl6MY&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Papilio%20grosesmithi&f=false

[pfau_tarleton]

Thomas Desloges is the top identifier for that species. You should send him a message.
https://www.inaturalist.org/people/cabintom

[cabintom]

P. grosesmithi : http://swallowtails.net/P_grosemithi.htm
P. morondavana : http://swallowtails.net/P_morondavana.htm

The easiest way to distinguish the 2 species is by the HW markings. In grosesmithi the post-discal lunules are very indented, forming an obvious “U” shape.

P. morondavana is known for it’s very orange antennae, but be careful as lighting can accentuate the orange aspect of grosesmithi’s antennae (e.g. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/52663209).

If you have concerns with any specific ID, it’s best to post a comment directly on that observation.

[davidklop]

Okay, I think that clears things up. All identifications look fine to me in that case.

Thanks!