Common Mormon

The Common Mormon (Papilio polytes romulus) is a medium-to-large-sized butterfly that belongs to a group of butterflies called Swallowtails, named for the long tails that extend from their hindwings.

Identifying features

Check out some of the identifying features of the Common Mormon below.

The male Common Mormon has a black upperside with a white band across the hindwing, while the female Common Mormon has red spots on its hindwing.

Habitat and ecology

Common Mormons can be frequently observed in parks, gardens, urban areas as well as in forests and nature reserves. They feed on nectar from a variety of flowers and lay their eggs on citrus plants such as Lime.

Did you know?

The female of this species is polymorphic, which means it has more than one type of colouration! This helps Common Mormon butterflies mimic other butterfly species to avoid being eaten by predators! This clever trick, called mimicry, helps them stay safe in the wild.

There are two occurring forms in Singapore, form-cyrus and form-polytes. The female form-cyrus looks nearly indistinguishable from the male, while the form-polytes, featured above, mimics the Common Rose but has a black abdomen instead.

Frequently asked questions

Q: What is the difference between the female Common Mormon and Common Rose?

The form-polytes of the Common Mormon mimics the Common Rose, but can be easily differentiated by looking at the abdomen colour. The Common Mormon's body is entirely black while the Common Rose's is red.

Learn more about the Common Mormon!

Curious about the Common Mormon? Here are some interesting articles you can read to learn more about them.

Flora and Fauna Web - Common Mormon