Monday, April 20, 2026

Butterfly of the Week: Dark Lady, or Odin's Graphium, or Narrow-Green-Banded Graphium

Graphium schubotzi is another butterfly that looks very similar to Graphium adamastor and Graphium auriger. Not all lists include it as a species; some count it as a subspecies of something else, e.g. Graphium auriger.


Photo by Tdesloges in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The living, flying butterfly is said to be dark brown, as shown, with white or cream-colored bands and dapples that can iridesce pale blue or green at some angles to the light. 

Found in Cameroon and all three countries that have been formerly included in "Congo." 

This species does not appear to be in danger of anything worse than being reclassified out of existence. It has gone on and off lists of Graphium species; an older name for it was Papilio odin. Why anyone would name a butterfly after the grim, grizzled grandfather of the Norse ancstor-gods, I can't imagine, but here and there a more recent person or fictional character has been called Odin. When replaced on species lists this species was named schubotzi, possibly as a tribute to Professor Johann Schubotz, an early twentieth century naturalist. The butterflies themselves have continued to flutter around central Africa, not knowing or caring whether humans were calling them Graphium auriger schubotzi or Graphium schubotzi

They are not apparently difficult to find but. due to uncertainty about classification, very few photos of this butterfly have been published online. Pictures that have been taken were taken in museums.

When schubotzi is listed as a distinct species, a subspecies maculata is usually recognized. Maculata is sometimes called the Cameroon Dark Lady.

The video below has been posted, not confirmed, as showing Graphium schubotzi.

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