Description

Atrophoneura dasarada barata, Swallowtail Butterfly Specimen.

You will receive this specimen, or one like it.

The striking Atrophoneura dasarada barata is a beautiful subspecies of the Himalayan Batwing, a swallowtail butterfly admired for its mysterious elegance and contrasting colors. Found in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and parts of Southeast Asia, this butterfly graces the mountain forests and valleys where the air is cool and the vegetation lush.

Unlike the brightly patterned tropical swallowtails, A. dasarada barata embodies refined minimalism. Its broad, velvety black wings are accented by delicate crimson streaks and spots, particularly on the hindwings, which sometimes bear subtle translucent patches. The body itself is robust and dark, giving the butterfly an almost bat-like silhouette in flight—hence the common name, “Batwing.”

This species belongs to the subfamily Papilioninae, and like many swallowtails, its larvae feed on Aristolochia (pipevine) plants, acquiring toxins that make them distasteful to predators. Its slow, deliberate flight adds to its mystique, as it drifts through shafts of filtered sunlight beneath the forest canopy.

Collectors and naturalists alike value Atrophoneura dasarada barata not just for its rarity, but for its quiet, gothic beauty—a perfect expression of how subtle design and natural defense intertwine in evolution.

Praying Mantis, Euchomenella heteroptera, Stick Mantis from Indonesia