Papilio ambrax, the Ambrax butterfly, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Queensland, Australia, as well as the Aru Islands, Papua (Indonesia), and Papua New Guinea.
The wingspan is NaNmm.Very nearly allied to P. polytes; both sexes without tail. Male: forewing with thin marginal spots confined to the edge of the wing; hindwing above with large white area, which always enters the cell and is much broader than the black marginal area; beneath this area is entirely absent or is replaced by rounded white-grey shadowy spots. Female on both wings with thin marginal spots, which are smaller than in all the polytes-forms-, no indication of nail-head spots at the black distal margin of the forewing;hindwing beneath as in the male with extremely small yellow-grey scales between the veins in the basal area; the white area of the hindwing similar to that of P. pol. nicanor, but the veins, especially the apex of the cell, even less black. There is no female form similar to the male. The larva when full-grown green, ventrally at the sides a broad stripe, which also covers the prolegs and is above edged with whitish; from this stripe, besides an anal band, branch off 3 bands of the same colour, which are not interrupted above, on the thorax in addition is placed a transverse band, laterally widened into spectacle-shape. The butterfly is very common.Karl Jordan in Seitz.[1]
The larvae feed on Citrus species, Clausena brevistyla, Limonia acidissima, Microcitrus garrawayae, Microcitrus inodora, Murraya koenigii, Zanthoxylum ailanthoides, Zanthoxylum brachyacanthum, Zanthoxylum nitidum, Zanthoxylum ovalifolium, and Morinda citrifolia.
Papilio ambrax is a member of the polytes species group. The clade members are: