The beautiful African giant swallowtail has the distinction of being the largest butterfly in Africa. Its long, narrow wings are orange and brown, with black markings. Like other members of the Papilionidae family, the African giant swallowtail has well-developed legs, and the area at the front of the head between the eyes is hairy. This family is also recognized by very short palpi, short projections below the head between which the tongue is coiled. Female African giant swallowtails are considerably smaller than males, with less elongated forewings.