page_title: List of butterflies of India (Papilionidae)
section_title: Subfamily Parnassiinae
hierarchical_section_title: List of butterflies of India (Papilionidae) / Subfamily Parnassiinae
caption_attribution_description: English: Common Blue Apollo Parnassius hardwickii at Biskeri Ridge (13,800 ft.) in Kullu- Manali District of Himachal Pradesh, India.
context_page_description: This is a list of the butterflies of family Papilionidae, or the swallowtails, which are found in India. This family of large and beautiful butterflies is well represented with 89 species found within Indian borders. Two of the three papilionid subfamilies are represented in India, namely, the Parnassiinae or Apollos, with 19 species, and the Papilioninae or swallowtails, with 70 species.
  The area of India falls in the Indomalayan realm, except for the Himalayas above and beyond the foothills adjoining the Indo-Gangetic Plains, and which fall in the Palearctic realm, resulting in increased diversity of papilionid butterflies, especially the Parnassiini or snow Apollos, all species of which are Palearctic.
  Indian swallowtails are spread over all the biomes/ecoregions of India. The Malabar banded peacock and the Malabar banded swallowtail fly at sea level while the Apollos, are to be found only in the highest alpine meadows of the Himalayas. Some species such as the common Mormon and the blue Mormon fly at ground level whereas others, such as the tailed jay are normally found flying high in the forest canopy.
context_section_description: The Parnassiinae include about 50 medium-sized, white or yellow high-altitude butterflies that are distributed across Asia, Europe and North America, of which 19 species fly in India.
caption: Common blue Apollo(Parnassius hardwickii)
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