Narrow-banded Bluebottle Graphium teredon

Built for speed, this swallowtail is a blur of turquoise bands and rapid wingbeats as it tears through the forests of southern India and Sri Lanka. Bluebottle swallowtails are among the fastest and most erratic fliers in the butterfly world, making them a genuine challenge to photograph in the field. The narrow bands of electric blue-green against jet black give it an almost neon look in dappled forest light.

Like many of its relatives, it's suspected to be involved in mimicry associations with other distasteful species that share its striking pattern. Swallowtail caterpillars across the family are armed with the osmeterium — a forked, foul-smelling defensive organ that erupts from behind the head when the caterpillar is threatened, mimicking a snake's tongue to alarm would-be predators.