Mocker Swallowtail / Papilio dardanus

I think I have identified this butterfly correctly. The shape and colour of this species seem to vary a lot, including some with "tails" and others without. Photographed on 23rd August 2011 in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. I think this was the first time I had seen this species there.

"Papilio dardanus (the African Swallowtail, Mocker Swallowtail or Flying Handkerchief), is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae (the Swallowtails). The species is broadly distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The British entomologist E. B. Poulton described it as "the most interesting butterfly in the world".

The species shows polymorphism in wing appearance, though this is limited to females, which are often given as an example of Batesian mimicry in insects. This female-limited mimicry was first described in 1869 by Roland Trimen. Males have a more or less uniform appearance throughout the species' range, but females come in at least 14 varieties or morphs. Some female morphs share a very similar pattern of colouration with various species of distasteful butterfly (e.g. from the family Danaidae), while others have been found that mimic male appearance (andromorphs)." From Wikipedia.

www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/species-of-the-day/biodiversi...