Papilio antimachus - female or male

[wollastoni]

Some collectors are being scammed by purchasing female Papilio antimachus (rare in collections) that are actually altered males.
Here are some recent live photos by Sui Fai Pun that clearly show the differences between males and females:

Female :

papilio antimachus female.jpg (607.5 KiB) Viewed 168 times

Male :

papilio antimachus male.jpg (692.64 KiB) Viewed 166 times

Pictures taken in June 2025 in Uganda.

Main differences :
- females have rounded forewings
- females lacks the three white spots on the underside.

Be careful, some fraudulent sellers “cut” the forewings of males to round them like those of females. The absence of white spots is therefore a better indicator. So always check the underside !
Here is an example of a fake female with cut wings : https://archive.insectnet.com/thread/63 ... hus-female

I hope it will help.

[Cabintom]

Female on the bottom.

[wollastoni]

For those of you who read French, there is a funny book called “Sa majesté des papillons” ("Lord of the Butterflies") which recounts a recent French expedition in search of the female antimachus. The expedition received a lot of press coverage... but it was a disastrously organized expedition... they didn't even know where to look. It's quite funny to read, the amateurism of the organization is glaring, and there are some great anecdotes about life in the African rainforest (ant attacks, tension within the group, etc.).

Thomas : you should write a book about your entomological adventures in Kivu one day !

[Trehopr1]

To give credit where credit is due I just wanted to point out that it was our forum member Paul K who made an astute observation some 5 yrs ago (at least) regarding the underside white markings which males have and females do not.

In fact, Adam was the first person to compliment Paul K on such a keen observation which had never been mentioned; much less noticed by anyone as so few specimens are in private hands or even museum collections.

I admire the observation skills which Paul K has shown us time and again.

[Paul K]

To give credit where credit is due I just wanted to point out that it was our forum member Paul K who made an astute observation some 5 yrs ago (at least) regarding the underside white markings which males have and females do not.

In fact, Adam was the first person to compliment Paul K on such a keen observation which had never been mentioned; much less noticed by anyone as so few specimens are in private hands or even museum collections.

I admire the observation skills which Paul K has shown us time and again.

Thank you so much Trehopr1