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Bhutanitis thaidina is an endemic, rare, and protected swallowtail in China. Deforestation, habitat fragmentation, illegal commercialised capture, and exploitation of larval food plants are believed to be the four major causes of population decline of B. thaidina in the recent decade. However, little attention was paid to the impact of climate change. This study used ecological niche factor analysis and species distribution model to analyse the current suitable areas for B. thaidina with BioClim variables as well as its future suitable areas under four future climate scenarios (represented by four Representative Concentration Pathways: RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0, and RCP8.5). Statistical analysis was carried out to compare the possible area and altitude changes to the distribution of B. thaidina under changing climate. Our analyses showed that the suitable areas for B. thaidina are fragmented under the current climate, with four suitable centres in northwestern Yunnan, northeastern Yunnan and northwestern Guizhou, the western margin of Sichuan Basin, and Qinling mountains. Apart from further habitat fragmentation under climate change, slight range expansion (average 6.0–8.9%) was detected under the RCP2.6 and RCP4.5 scenarios, while more range contraction (average 1.3–26.9%) was detected under the RCP6.0 and RCP8.5 scenarios, with the two southern suitable centres suffering most. Also, a tendency of contraction (2,500–3,500 m) and upslope shift (~600 m) in suitable altitude range were detected. The findings of this study supported the climate-vulnerable hypothesis of B. thaidina , especially under future climate like the RCP6.0 and RCP8.5 scenarios, in terms of contraction in suitable areas and altitude ranges. Conservation priority should be given to northwestern Yunnan, northeastern Yunnan, and northwestern Guizhou to alleviate the stress of massive habitat loss and extinction. Refugial areas should be established in all four suitable centres to maintain genetic diversity of B. thaidina in China.

University campuses, as small and isolated areas of rapidly growing urban areas, can provide a unique opportunity for urban biodiversity research, conservation, education, and citizen science by monitoring assemblages of butterflies within their areas. We surveyed butterfly biodiversity in a rapidly developing urban area represented by the Chenggong Campus of Yunnan University in southwestern China using the Pollard walk method. In total, 3625 butterfly individuals belonging to 50 species, 35 genera, and six families were recorded in this survey. The results showed that the families Pieridae and Nymphalidae are the families with the highest species richness on the campus, and that the family Riodinidae contained the fewest species. Pieris rapae was the most common species, and seven species assessed by the IUCN Red List were recorded. Butterfly community structure varied across habitats and seasons on campus, and butterfly diversity was higher in spring and autumn than it was in summer and winter, as well as being higher in road habitats than in scenic habitats. Unavoidable urbanisation activities (construction, green space planning, etc.) may have influenced the composition and diversity of butterflies, and conserving urban butterfly diversity requires a balance between urban planning and habitat diversity. Finally, we encourage universities and research institutions to develop butterfly monitoring platforms for citizen scientists to participate in.

The complete mitochondrial genomes of two Iphiclides species, namely I. podalirius and I. podalirinus, were sequenced, assembled, and reported in this article. Both genomes comprise 37 genes, with 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. The gene orders and alignments agree with the reported mitogenomes of Leptocircini butterflies, while the start codon for the COX1 gene in I. podalirinus is CGA instead of the commonly seen ATN type. Codon preference shows that methionine and tryptophan are the poorest, while arginine, leucine, and serine are the richest. Phylogenetic analysis using Bayesian Inference shows both Iphiclides species are sister to the genus Lamproptera and are basal to all remaining Leptocircini species. The Kimura 2-parameter (K2P) distances of I. podalirinus from I. podalirius exceed 5%, demonstrating its solid species status. The K2P distance between the North African feisthamelii and podalirius exceeds 2%, indicating the reasonable elevation of I. feisthamelii to the full specific level as its type locality is Algeria. Future research is required to tackle the relationship between the Iberian feisthamelii and podalirius using more evidence.

The Tailed Redbreast Papilio bootes exhibits a tendency for specific mimicry of sympatric Byasa species across its distribution range, but this phenomenon has not yet been quantitatively analysed. To address this intriguing example of Batesian mimicry, the present study focused on three provinces (Yunnan, Sichuan, and Shaanxi) in West China, which have high taxonomic diversity of both P. bootes and Byasa . We combined computer‐aided and human eyesight morphological comparisons to reveal the visual similarity between five subspecies of P. bootes and 13 species of Byasa . Our findings demonstrate that the subspecies mindoni and parcesquamata of P. bootes in the western part of its range primarily mimic Byasa species with four hindwing white spots ( B. latreillei , B. polla and B. genestieri ), while the black subspecies nigricauda and dealbatus in the northeastern part of the range specifically mimic Byasa species without hindwing white spots ( B. impediens , B. plutonius and black B. polyeuctes ). Between these two extremes, the subspecies rubicundus and the spotted nigricauda mimic several different Byasa species, with the variable B. polyeuctes acting as the morphological bridge between them. Considering the phylogenetic history of Byasa and P. bootes , the authors propose that the four‐spotted trait in P. bootes could be ancestral, while the spotless trait may have resulted from subsequent selection. The widespread and morphologically variable B. polyeuctes may enhance its own fitness by potential Müllerian mimicry and also serve as a bridge to mingle P. bootes and various Byasa species through Batesian mimicry in the transition area between four‐spotted and spotless Byasa species.

About 10% of the Earth’s butterfly species inhabit the highly diverse ecosystems of China. Important for the ecological, economic, and cultural services they provide, many butterfly species experience threats from land use shifts and climate change. China has recently adopted policies to protect the nation’s biodiversity resources. This essay examines the current management of butterflies in China and suggests various easily implementable actions that could improve these conservation efforts. Our recommendations are based on the observations of a transdisciplinary group of entomologists and environmental policy specialists. Our analysis draws on other successful examples around the world that China may wish to consider. China needs to modify its scientific methodologies behind butterfly conservation management: revising the criteria for listing protected species, focusing on umbrella species for broader protection, identifying high priority areas and refugia for conservation, among others. Rural and urban land uses that provide heterogeneous habitats, as well as butterfly host and nectar plants, must be promoted. Butterfly ranching and farming may also provide opportunities for sustainable community development. Many possibilities exist for incorporating observations of citizen scientists into butterfly data collection at broad spatial and temporal scales. Our recommendations further the ten Priority Areas of China’s National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (2011–2030).

The present study reports the mitochondrial genome of A. hastata (Oberthür, 1892), a little-known Aporia species endemic to the southern margin of the Hengduan Mountains in Yunnan Province. This genome is circular, 15,148 bp in length, and consists of 13 PCGs, 22 tRNAs, and two rRNAs. The Bayesian phylogenetic tree clusters A. hastata with other Aporia taxa inside tribe Pierini Duponchel, [1835]. The findings of this study add valuable new information to the genus Aporia and are beneficial to a better understanding of phylogeography of these butterflies.

Butterflies are important biological indicators for assessing the environment and habitat quality. Dulongjiang in Yunnan, China, a global biodiversity hotspot, has undergone recent socioeconomic development, yet the impact of resultant land-use changes on its butterfly fauna remains poorly understood. This study conducted a systematic survey across three land-use types (forest, cropland, and construction land) over four months in 2024, employing area-time counts at 12 observatory sites. A total of 4805 individual specimens from 142 species, 88 genera, and 6 families were recorded. Nymphalidae dominated in species richness, while Pieridae was most abundant. Species rarefication curves indicated well-represented sampling. Diversity was significantly different between the four months, with a peak in June, when environment conditions are favourable. The forest harboured the least butterfly richness but higher evenness, while construction land showed the highest richness and lower evenness. Butterfly communities in three land-use types showed no significant differences, attributed to the fragmented topography in the area, which facilitates butterfly dispersal. Our findings reveal that butterfly diversity in Dulongjiang is influenced by a combination of seasonal climatic variations and land use.

The taxonomy of genus Ambulyx Westwood, 1847 from China is reviewed based on analysis of wing morphology, male and female genitalia and phylogenetic relationships derived from DNA barcodes. A new species, Ambulyx wukong sp. nov. is described from NW Yunnan, China. A male of the rare species, A. zhejiangensis from Yintiaoling Nature Reserve, Chongqing, China is examined and its male genitalia illustrated for the first time. Two taxa are newly recorded from China, A. tattina tattina from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, and A. semiplacida montana from Pingbian, Yunnan. Distribution maps, biological notes, and ecological records are also given.

Neogurelca montana (Rothschild & Jordan, 1915) is a species of the genus Neogurelca Hogenes & Treadaway, 1993, that was previously known from Sichuan, Yunnan, and Tibet, China. Recently, however, this species was also found in Beijing and Hebei. These populations differ from those in southwest China in body colour and the shape of the yellow patches of the hindwing—a paler body colour and triangular patches in the former and darker body colour and fan-like patches in the latter. Wing morphology, male and female genitalia, and molecular evidence (DNA barcodes) were analysed for the different localities of this species and three other Neogurelca species—N. hyas, N. himachala, and N. masuriensis. Our molecular data support the Beijing population of montana as a valid subspecies, which we describe as N. montana taihangensis ssp. nov. Wing and genital morphology confirm the molecular conclusions. We also collected larvae of the new subspecies in the Beijing suburbs and describe its life history and larval hosts and compare them with those of N. himachala.

Here, the taxonomy of the genus Rhagastis Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae, Macroglossinae, Macroglossini) from China is revised based on differences in wing morphology, male and female genitalia, and the phylogenetic relationship of the DNA barcodes. Subspecies of Rhagastis albomarginatus (Rothschild, 1894) and R. castor (Walker, 1856) are treated as “good” species, namely Rhagastis dichroae Mell, 1922 stat. nov.; R. everetti Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 stat. nov.; R. aurifera (Butler, 1875) stat. rev.; R. chinensis Mell, 1922 stat. nov.; R. formosana Clark, 1925 stat. nov.; and R. jordani Oberthür, 1904 stat. rev. The distribution maps, biological notes, and ecological records of the genus Rhagastis Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 from China are given, and a species inventory of genus Rhagastis in the world is also included.