Abstract
The habitat preference of the black swallowtail butterflies (BSB), Papilio helenus, P. protenor and P. memnon, was studied by mark-release-and-'resight' method in Kodakasa-yama, Kochi, Japan. Flight behavior of BSB was little affected by this method. In P. helenus, males tended to prefer the edges of the forest instead of the treeless "gaps, " though their population interchange between gap and edge was at the same low rate. Both the gaps and the forest interior were utilized for roosting. P. protenor, on the other hand, tended to remain in the gaps and the interior where they fed and oviposited. Thus, the daily flight trajectory of P. protenor seemed roughly opposite that of P. helenus. P. memnon which flies by soaring and gliding, preferred an open or edge area of the forest. Their host plants and nectar plants are different from those of the other two species and grow mainly in open areas. Thus, P. protenor and P. memnon are the more typical inhabitants of forests and open areas among the three BSB species.
