Mocker Swallowtail Butterfly Papilio dardanus
The Mocker Swallowtail Butterfly is native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is sometimes, confusingly, referred to as the African Swallowtail;
others also have that name. The male, above, has the typical swallow tails and is black and (off-)white on top and brown on the underside.
The name "mocker" refers to the female, who has several forms - see below.
More of the male Mocker, but one female form is to mimic the male, complete with tails. This leads to less harassment by males wanting to mate,
but leaves her more vulnerable to predators.
Male sides - they've both lost their tails. The body is off-white to fawn with dark lines and spots.
The female has several forms which mimic poisonous or unpalatable Danaid/Milkweed butterflies; all these are tail-less.
The above form mimics the Black Friar or Dusky Danaid.
Female Mocker looking like Black Friar/Dusky Danaid.
Another common female form mimics the Plain Tiger Danaid butterfly, a relation of the Monarch.
The wingspan can reach over 100mm.
Other female forms, not shown, include a Danaid Crow-type mimic. Females with different forms can be found within the same area.