About 5" wide and 4" tall, in an 8" by 8" frame. One of the most vivid and largest of all the oriental and black and blue swallowtails, the typical ulysses flies in Ambonia and Ceram - in the East Indies. From there it can be found in New Guinea and as far as the Solomon Islands, and each island race has its own name. A British lepidopterist , Gervase Mathew, arrived in New Britain in 1883, and writes about the Papilio Ulysses: "Occasionally one passed sufficiently near to afford, apparently an easy shot at my catching it, but somehow, just as I made a stroke at it, it swerved to one side with astonishing celerity. I was probably nervous at the sight of such a brilliant creature". During courtship the male briefly flutters above the female, displaying its iridescent blue wings. Pairing takes place and usually lasts for 2 hours. If disturbed, the female will carry the male for short distances as it hangs beneath her. Flight is strong, controlled, and swift. It flies in woodland and open country with an undulating flight, drinking casually from flowers and puddles of water. The caterpillar feeds on citrus. When you give this butterfly as a gift, you can mimic the undulating flight with your fingers but when you need to drink from the puddle, you are on your own. Size: 5" wide x 4" tall, in a frame 8" x 8". Origin: Papua New Guinea. |
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