The Bhutan Glory, Bhutanitis lidderdalii, is a species of swallowtail

Swallowtail butterfly

Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies that form the family Papilionidae. There are over 550 species, and though the majority are tropical, members of the family are found on all continents except Antarctica...

 butterfly

Butterfly

A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...

 (family Papilionidae), which is found in Bhutan

Bhutan

Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...

, parts of northeastern India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and of Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

. A spectacular insect much sought after by collectors, the species epithet is after Dr R. Lidderdale, from whose collection the butterfly was first described by William Stephen Atkinson

William Stephen Atkinson

William Stephen Atkinson was a British lepidopterist who worked for much of his life in India.William was the eldest son of Rev. Thomas D, Atkinson, of Chesterton, in Suffolk. He became interested in nature at Cannock Chase, when his father became Vicar of Rugeley. He started collecting British...

 in 1873. Listed under CITES Appendix II, but not in the Red Book of the IUCN, the status of the butterfly has been recorded as rare

Rare

-In music:* Rare , a band from Northern Ireland* Rare , a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade* Rare , an album by the progressive rock band Asia* Rare , a compilation album by David Bowie...

 by some authorities and "Insufficiently known" in the IUCN Red Data Book on Swallowtails.

See glossary

Glossary of Lepidopteran terms

This glossary describes the terms used in the formal descriptions of insect species, jargon used mostly by professionals or entomologist....

 for terms used

Both sexes of the Bhutan Glory are identical in looks, having long rounded forewings with convex termen and many-tailed hindwings.