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Issued on: 25 Jun, 2009
To call public attention to conserve natural habitat, Chunghwa Post is following up with a souvenir sheet on swallowtail butterflies. The designs follow:
1. Papilio xuthus Linnaeus (NT$5.00): It has dark brown wings, although the coloration in females is somewhat lighter. There is a pale yellow crescent (lunule) behind the forewings and hindwings, and there are some light yellow markings near the base of the hindwings. The males and females are similar in appearance except for some obvious orange markings on either side of the bluish gray band on the underside of females’ hindwings. In addition, there is a black spot on the front edge of males’ hindwings, which is absent in females.
2. Troides aeacus formosanus Rothschild (NT$5.00): The male has black wings, and the bright yellow markings on the upperside and underside of its hindwings are larger than those of the female. There is a row of black saw-tooth markings on the outer margin of its hindwings and some red markings on its thorax. Females are larger than males, with broader forewings and a complicated yellow and black pattern on their hindwings. This butterfly is an endemic subspecies to Taiwan. It is listed as a rare and valuable protected species.
3. Graphium agamemnon (Linnaeus) (NT$12.00): Females and males have identical wing patterns. The male has black wings with four vertical rows of yellowish green spots on each wing. There is a fuzzy gray brand in the fold at the inner edge of the hindwings. Females lack the brand and are larger than males.
4. Papilio paris nakaharai Shirôzu (NT$12.00): It has black wings. There is a broad, metallic greenish blue marking on its hindwings, which shimmers during flight. It is one of the most beautiful butterflies in Taiwan. There is a row of red crescents on the outer edge of the underside of its hindwings. Females and males are similar in appearance, except that in males the blue marking on the upperside of the hindwing extends narrowly below and above.
為喚醒人們對自然生態環境保護的重視，本公司續以鳳蝶為題材，發行「臺灣蝴蝶郵票（98年版）」小全張1張。茲將郵票圖案簡介如下：
一、柑橘鳳蝶（面值5元）：翅呈黑褐色，雌蝶顏色較淺；前後翅有淡黃色新月紋，後翅翅基附近有淡黃色斑塊。雄雌蝶外型相似，惟雌蝶後翅腹面在藍灰色帶兩側交疊有明顯的橙黃色斑；此外，雄蝶在後翅背面前緣有黑斑點，雌蝶則無。
二、黃裳鳳蝶（面值5元）：雄蝶翅底為黑色，後翅背面及腹面之金黃色斑塊比雌蝶為大，翅緣有長鋸齒狀黑斑圍繞，胸部有紅色斑紋；雌蝶體型較大，前翅較寬廣，後翅金黃色紋被弧狀黑紋分隔成複雜之塊狀。為臺灣特有亞種蝴蝶，目前被列為珍貴稀有保育類動物。
三、綠斑鳳蝶（面值12元）：雌雄斑紋相同，雄蝶翅底為黑色，前翅背面有四列縱向黃綠色斑，後翅背面斑紋及顏色與前翅相同，內緣反褶部分有灰色之長絨毛狀性標；雌蝶無性標，體型也比雄蝶略大。
四、琉璃翠鳳蝶（面值12元）：翅為黑色，後翅有一大塊藍綠色金屬光澤的斑紋，飛行時閃耀著炫目光澤，堪稱為臺灣最美的蝴蝶之一；後翅腹面外緣有一列紅色弦月紋。雌雄外觀近似，惟雄蝶後翅背面的藍色斑紋上下呈細條狀延伸。
Reference:
Chunghwa Post Co., Ltd.
