Papilio godeffroyi
Papilio godeffroyi, the Godeffroy's swallowtail, (Samoan pepe ae) is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae.
| Godeffroy's swallowtail | |
|---|---|
| Papilio godeffroyi in Adalbert Seitz's The Macrolepidoptera of the World | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Papilionidae |
| Genus: | Papilio |
| Species: | P. godeffroyi |
| Binomial name | |
| Papilio godeffroyi Semper, 1866 | |
Papilio godeffroyi was endemic to all of Samoa, but it is now found only on the island of Tutuila, where it is uncommon but widespread and restricted to undisturbed or near-undisturbed rainforest. It was last seen in Samoa in 1979. This is only around 5% of its original range, and the species has recently been submitted to the IUCN Red List as critically endangered.
The larva feeds on Micromelum minutum (Rutaceae), locally called talafalu.
The species, named to honour Johann Cesar VI. Godeffroy, is illustrated on a Samoan postage stamp issued on 14 December 2001.
In July 2023 the Samoa Conservation Society announced plans to reintroduce the butterfly to Samoa.