Papilio menestheus
# Papilio menestheus

Papilio menestheus, the western emperor swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus Papilio that is found in Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.

The larvae feed on Citrus species and Fagara macrophylla.

## Taxonomy

Papilio menestheus is the nominal member of the menestheus species group. The members of the clade are:

* Papilio menestheus Drury, 1773
* Papilio lormieri Distant, 1874
* Papilio ophidicephalus Oberthür, 1878

## Subspecies

* Papilio menestheus menestheus (Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, western Cameroon)
* Papilio menestheus canui Gauthier, 1984 (Equatorial Guinea)
