Studies on Ecology and Behavior of Japanese Black Swallowtail Butterflies : IV. Estimation of Life Span of Male Papilio helenus nicconicolens BUTLER and P. protenor demetrius CRAMER (Lepidoptera : Papilionidae)

Only a few studies have been conducted on the survival rate and life span of adults, e.g., P. polytes romulus and P. polyxenes . The adult life span of the Japanese black swallowtail butterflies (hereafter referred to as BSB), has not yet been estimated. In the present study we investigated the life span of male butterflies in P. helenus nicconicolens and P. protenor demetrius by the mark-and-recapture method in Kodakasa-yama, Kochi City during 1977-1979. The authors then compared our estimates with the reported life span of other Papilio butterflies.