Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio xuthus)

Japanese: アゲハチョウ(揚羽蝶) - アゲハチョウ（英語表記）Papilio xuthus

An insect of the Lepidoptera, family Papilionidae (illustration). Also known as Ageha or Namia-gaha, and formerly known as Agehanocho. A native of East Asia, it is not distributed in the tropics and prefers warm climates. It is found throughout Japan, and is the most common swallowtail butterfly found near human settlements. It is also found in mountainous areas, but is less common than other swallowtail butterflies except from spring to early summer. It emerges at least twice a year, and in warm areas it occurs about six times a year. Its larvae are also called Yuzubou and prefer the young leaves of Rutaceae plants. The larvae up to the fourth instar are black with white stripes and look like bird droppings, but by the fifth instar they turn a vibrant yellow-green color.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

鱗翅目アゲハチョウ科の昆虫（イラスト）。アゲハ，ナミアゲハともいい，昔はアゲハノチョウともいった。東アジア特産で熱帯には分布せず，温暖な気候を好む。日本全国に産し，アゲハ類の中では人家付近にもっともふつうである。山地にも産するが，春～初夏を除いては他のアゲハ類より少ない。年に最低2回，暖地では年6回くらい発生し，幼虫はユズボウとも呼ばれミカン科植物の若葉を好む。4齢までの幼虫は黒色で白紋があり，鳥の糞のように見えるが，5齢になると鮮やかな黄緑色に変わる。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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