National Museum of Natural Science

The common windmill butterfly diverged during the late Miocene and has four subspecies distributed in the Indomalayan realm. Wingspan is 11-14 cm. The base color of the wings is dark brown. There are 2-3 white spots and crescent-shaped red markings on the hindwings and a large red spot at the tip of the tail extension. Females have 1-2 more red markings on the underside of the hind wings. Adults emit a fragrant scent. The larvae feed on birthworts (Aristolochia spp.). Pictured here is Taiwan subspecies B. p. termessus.

Byasa polyeuctes