Troides magellanus
The Magellan birdwing diverged during the late Miocene epoch around 11 million years ago. There are two subspecies. Wingspan of males is 11-15 cm and that of females is 16-18 cm. The base color of the wings in males is black. On the forewings are ash white stripes along both sides of the wing veins. On the hindwings is a large gold spot, which can appear purple, cyan, or green depending on the angle of light. The inner margin is densely covered with beige cilia. Females have a gold spot on the hind wings with an arc-shaped black band. Adults can be seen all year round and inhabit tropical rainforests and coastal forests. The larvae feed on birthworts (Aristolochia spp). Its distribution inclues the Philippines and Taiwan’s Orchid Island. This butterfly is listed in Appendix II of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). T.m. sonani, an endemic subspecies found on Orchid Island, is listed as a category I endangered species in Taiwan.
