Graphium colonna, the black swordtail or mamba swordtail, is a species in the family Papilionidae, the
swallowtail butterflies. It is found widely across sub-Saharan Africa, from West Africa to eastern and southern Africa. The butterfly is predominantly black with green markings and the characteristic "tail" on the hindwing. The species breeds throughout the warmer months, and its
caterpillars feed on plants in the genera
Artabotrys,
Uvaria and
Annona.
Graphium colonna belongs to the clade
antheus of the genus
Graphium and was first described by
Christopher Ward in 1873. This
G. colonna butterfly was photographed in
Maputo National Park, Mozambique.
Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
_Maputo.jpg)
