We can blame my aging eyes for an apparent omission from the list of Graphium species. There is no such species as Graphium laboranus. There is Graphium taboranus, which we shall consider in a few more months. For now, we proceed to Graphium latreillianus.
Graphium latreillianus, the Coppery Swordtail or Swallowtail or Lady, is found in central Africa. It has neither swordlike nor swallow's-tails-like tails at the rounded corners of its hind wings. It is at least equally as likely to be a "lord" as to be a "lady." It does have a nice coppery brown color scheme.
Photo by Nikborrow, taken in February in Cameroon. Yes, this is another Swallowtail species where the males are part-time composters and help break down the pollution in tire tracks. The mineral salts they need are also abundant in human sweat and urine, so male latreillianus can be "too friendly" to campers in its territory. They are good-sized butterflies, wingspans three inches or more.
Photo by Stefaneakame from Gabon. In some lights some individuals, especially male, look black and white as shown.
Photo by Mlanguy, also from Gabon. This dark and light brown effect, where the upper side of the wings matches the under side, seems to be more common.
Sometimes the pale patches even iridesce apple-green. In early literature this color pattern was identified with the subspecies potamonianus but it may be more of an individual variation than a feature identifying a true subspecies. Most sources no longer list potamonianus as a subspecies. One writer observed that the greenish color was typical of theorini.
There are two subspecies distinguished by slightly different color patterns. Representatives of each pattern are shown on page 76 of this PDF:
G.l. theorini is better documented on the Internet than G.l. latreillianus is. Theorini has a larger territory; see the map on page 77 of the PDF above. It is a larger butterfly and, since its territory doesn't overlap with Graphium latreillianus latreillianus territory, it is sometimes considered a subspecies of a different species, the very similar Graphium tynderaeus. It has been found all the way from Libreville on the west coast to Dar es Salaam on the east coast, and at points between.
Five additional subspecies have been named but are rare enough to appear on most lists as aberrations rather than subspecies.
This butterfly's image has been used on postage stamps.
Along with many other butterfly images, it's been preserved online as an example of a nonviolent ecological protest. Of all the butterflies this web site has considered so far, Graphium latreillianus is the only one in this photo essay about a place that's especially rich in butterflies. We have the Horrible Swallowtail, as well as the Giant African Swallowtail, to look forward to...
Nobody seems ever to have documented anything about the early stages of Graphium latreillianus. Opportunities for African students to become famous still abound.
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