Hong Kong Butterflies 23

The Five-bar Swordtails (Pathysa antiphates 綠鳳蝶 ) are remarkable for the very long, slender and tapering tail on the hindwing, resembling a long sword. They are forest butterflies and are very swift on the wing, with an erratic flight. The species is creamy white above, with a series of black transverse stripes in the costal area of the forewing. On the underside, the basal half of the hindwing is green, with black stripes and spots. The butterfly has a wingspan of 40 – 45 mm.

I saw this beautiful butterfly sucking water from a pond in the Hong Kong Park a few days ago. It was reported that some people had found this butterfly urinating from time to time when sucking water.