Graphium olbrechtsi, Olbrecht's Graphium, is found only in the Congo. It's not a well known species. It looks very much like the other Graphiums that some scientists want to classify as a separate genus Arisbe, such as G. abri, G. adamastor, G. almansor, G. auriger, G. aurivillusi, G. kigoma, G. poggianus, and G. rileyi. It has been listed as a distinct species only since the 1950s. Not all scientists count it as a separate species even now. Some say that G. olbrechtsi and another species name that's found on only a few lists, G. odin, are the same animal as G. auriger or maybe G. schubotzi. As a result science sites are cautious about displaying photos or descriptions of Olbrecht's Graphium.
Photo by Kizkizito, taken in February in Kongolo.
If it is a species, it's rare, and may be threatened, but nobody seems certain. Most sites that have pages for this species have yet to fill them in with information.
There are two subspecies, olbrechtsi and tongoni, found in different parts of the nations called Congo or Zaire. Names and boundaries in this part of Africa have changed a good deal even during my lifetime. Some sources play it safe by giving specific locations where each subspecies has been seen: Graphium olbrechtsi olbrechtsi is found in Kabinda, Lomami, Lualaba...or, generally speaking, its territory is south of tongoni's. Territories mapped for the subspecies don't overlap, or even touch.
Nothing is known about the life cycle of this butterfly, though information about what it eats and when it flies might help scientists decide whether or not it's a species.
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