Atrophaneura aidoneus

• Wingspan: 112–162 mm. • Male: Tailless. Above, the butterfly is bluish black and unmarked. It has a white scent patch in a square dorsal fold, which is pink or red on its marginal edge. This white scent patch is smaller than that of the common windmill. • Female: Tailless. Above, the butterfly is grey brown. It has dark stripes between the veins. Resembles Atrophaneura varuna race astorion, but differs as follows: Cell of forewing proportionately not quite so long; abdominal fold to the hindwing in male not so broad, its lower margin not square, rounded; the specialized scales within the fold white, with an edging of pink. Female larger. Upperside: ground colour olivaceous brown, never black; abdomen with a broad white, not crimson, lateral stripe. ==Description in Seitz==

Head red, the long hairs often almost all black;the sides of the breast and abdomen red, and the sides of the latter mostly white-red. Wings blue-black, in the female often brownish, the forewing lighter, with the usual black stripes at the veins and folds. Scent¬fold of the male as the preceding species [Atrophaneura hageni]with white area, posteriorly edged with pale salmon-colour. North-West India, Sikkim, Bhutan, Khassia Hills (very rare), Burma, Shan States, Tonkin and Hainan; in Sikkim not rare up to about 5000 ft. from April to November; according to Manders the butterfly flies by preference in the deep shadow of forest-trees which overhang rivers. Its flight is slow and graceful.Karl Jordan in Seitz (page 29) ==Range==

Northern India, Bhutan, Burma, northern Vietnam, northern Laos, southern China (including Hainan (Guangdong province)). In India, it is found in Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur and Nagaland. ==Status==

The butterfly is not common but not regarded as threatened. ==Taxonomy==

The lesser batwing flies from April to November and frequents forests up to the altitude of . ==Habits==

The lesser batwing is a shade-loving forest butterfly. It has a slow and graceful flight. Both sexes frequent flowers, often Lantana. ==See also==