Identify a Swallowtail From Peru

[neominois]

Hello Friends,

I have a swallowtail from Tingo Maria that I'm not sure of.  I know it is a Parides, but what is the species?  lysander, eurimedes, sesostris  I think it is Parides sesostris, but confirmation would be great.  Thanks!!!

:Attachment Deleted

[Adam Cotton]

This is a male of Parides anchises koenigi Racheli, 1989.

Adam.

[neominois]

Thanks Adam. How could I have been so off on identification???

[deliasfanatic]

Remember to check the HW marginal spots...since they aren't pink, that immediately rules out lysander and eurimedes from the start.

[neominois]

Is there a key to this Genus anywhere???

[deliasfanatic]

IMO the easiest to use is still the 1906 revision by Rothschild & Jordan - it includes detailed info not available elsewhere, such as veination that distinguishes species. It's available as a 1967 reproduction, but I think the latter is out of print too.

The current German series "Butterflies of the World" includes an excellent Parides fascicle by Racheli & Bollino; actually two parts, one with text and one with plates. Both are needed. It's up to date and accurate.

[Adam Cotton]

Yes, there is, but it is not very easy to use. It is part of a key to the American Papilionidae in Tyler et al., 1994. Swallowtail Butterflies of the Americas.

Adam.

[deliasfanatic]

I omitted that one; much inferior to the others IMO.

[Adam Cotton]

Nov 20, 2016 21:52:08 GMT deliasfanatic said:

The current German series "Butterflies of the World" includes an excellent Parides fascicle by Racheli & Bollino; actually two parts, one with text and one with plates. Both are needed. It's up to date and accurate.

The plates are Bauer & Frankenbach (eds.), Butterflies of the World part 26, Papilionidae XIII Parides, written by Edwin Moehn. Tommaso Racheli did the text part - Supplement 13, The Genus Parides. Both of these were published in 2006.

You are confusing them with the Bollino & Racheli part of the same series on Parnassiinae (excluding Parnassius) published in 2012.

Adam.

[neominois]

The diversity amazes me. This marks the 5th species of Parides I collected in Peru, in one week...

[neominois]

Now that I look at the pictures from Butterflies of America webpage of Parides anchises koenigi it is obvious my specimen is that species... It's very difficult to separate them out with row after row of such similar butterflies.

[Adam Cotton]

Nov 20, 2016 21:58:42 GMT deliasfanatic said:

I omitted that one; much inferior to the others IMO.

I agree that it is inferior, but neominois asked about a key to the species. The Bauer & Frankenbach books don't have a true key to species, but they are definitely much more up to date and easier to use, particularly if you know the basics of how to distinguish the groups within Parides.

I spent 3 months in 2006 editing the Racheli Parides text, so I am partly to blame for any errors

Adam.

[deliasfanatic]

Nov 20, 2016 22:00:39 GMT Adam Cotton said:

Nov 20, 2016 21:52:08 GMT deliasfanatic said:

The current German series "Butterflies of the World" includes an excellent Parides fascicle by Racheli & Bollino; actually two parts, one with text and one with plates. Both are needed. It's up to date and accurate.

The plates are Bauer & Frankenbach (eds.), Butterflies of the World part 26, Papilionidae XIII Parides, written by Edwin Moehn. Tommaso Racheli did the text part - Supplement 13, The Genus Parides. Both of these were published in 2006.

You are confusing them with the Bollino & Racheli part of the same series on Parnassiinae (excluding Parnassius) published in 2012.

Adam.

That's right, I'd forgotten that the text was solely by Racheli. I think of M. Bollino as a Parides guy too, and since they often work together, it was natural for my feeble memory to extend that partnership to this volume!