[5] It was earlier considered a subspecies of the common birdwing (Troides helena) but is now recognised as a valid species.

[2][3] The species is more common in the Western Ghats of southern India, which is a biodiversity hotspot with a high degree of endemism in many taxa.

[6] Description from Charles Thomas Bingham (1907) The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma, Butterflies.

The butterfly is locally very common in the southern and central Western Ghats covering the states of Karnataka and Kerala.

Active during early morning hours when both sexes feed in the forest on Lantana and diverse food plants.

The only food source is nectar, it also visits gardens and orchards and sips from domestic plants such as Mussaenda, Ixora and Lantana.

[7] The larval host plants of these butterflies are small creepers and climbers of the family Aristolochiaceae such as Aristolochia indica, Aristolochia tagala, Thottea siliquosa and Bragantia wallichii [4] The host plant toxins sequestered by the butterfly during its larval stage make it unpalatable to predators.