Pachliopta strandi, also known as Atrophaneura strandi, is another species about which very little has been published online. Most Google hits for this species open lists of species names.
Funet.fi offers this link to an 1861 publication in Latin, describing strandi under the name Papilio annae:
Even Walter Rothschild had little light to shed on the distinction between strandi and annae;
"
Papilio annae Keld. [J, ?].
Papilio annae Felder, ^Vlen. Ent. Man. V. p. 297. n. 2 {^, iiec ?) (1861) (Mindoro) ; id., Vcrli.
:. /). ties. Wici p. ;t26. n. 491 (1804) (Mindoro) ; id., K-lm Nvcara. Lep. I. p. 132. n. 98. t. -211.
f. c ( ? ) (18li.^) (Mindoro) : Wall, Tr. Lhin. .Soo. L„„d. XXV. p. 43. n. '29 (18135) (Mindoro). Pai>ll/o{Menel,iid<s)uniiae, Samper, Pliilipp., Taiifall. p. 271. n. .397. t. 40. f. 2( ? )(1891)(Mindoro).
(")• !*• annae Feld., forma typ. [J, ¥].
The hindwings have, besides a large cellular spot which occupies more than half the cell, six white discal markings, of which the posterior ones are the longest.
The submarginal spots are either all cream-colour, or the three posterior ones are red; above, the submarginal markings are rather obscure, especially in the individuals with a red body ; the anal mark is sometimes connected below with the last white discal mark, and is of the same colour as the submarginal spots, i.e. either buff or red.
The front of the head, sides of the thorax underneath the wings, and part of the abdomen are either yellowish buff or red.
Hah. Mindoro {.\. Everett, December 1894) (4 ?).
(//): P. annae phlegon I'eld. \_S, ?].
5 . Papilio anime Felder, ll'/«i. Ent. Mon. V. p. 297. n. 2 ( ? , n.»o ,}) (1801) (" Mindoro " he. err.). $. Papilio phlegon Felder, Vcrli. z. b. Get. W'ini p. .320. n. 49i) (1804) (Mind.-inao). ^ ? . Papilio {.yeiH'laiilis) phlegon. Semper, Philij'/i., Taijfalt. p. 271. n. 398. t. 40. f . 3 ( J ) (1891) (S.W. Mindanao ; Guimaraa).
I know this insect only from the descriptions and Semper's figure; it differs from annae in the white markings of the hindwings having a bluish instead of a faint yellowish tint ; the spots round the cell are also a little smaller, and the tails are somewhat shorter. These differences are, however, so slight, tliat I cannot treat phlgon as specifically distinct from annae.
Felder described the female from " Mindoro " ; according to Semper {I.e.). in whose collection the ////>« is, the specimen came, however, fronv Mindanao.
Hab. S.W. Mindanao; (iuimanis.
"
In the twentieth century, however, in scientific journals and books that have not been photographed at Funet, scientists determined that strandi was a separate species, comprising five subspecies, each associated with a different Philippine island. The article establishing strandi's status as a distinct species is referenced as "Bryk, 1930." A date like that means it probably is in some university libraries, and good luck finding it anywhere else...
This photo by Dmitriy Pozhugin appears to be the only confirmed image of an intact carcass of this species on the Internet. Web sites that don't use it use an image of a box of halves of several different Atrophaneura bodies, originally printed in a book with captions identifying which half was being preserved as a specimen of which species, but uploaded into the'Net without the captions.
Its conservation status is almost in a Catch-22: This butterfly is not known to be endangered because, although it resembles other species enough that only dissection confirmed that it's a different animal, it's always been very rare.
No comments:
Post a Comment