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Post by Adam Cotton on Oct 23, 2018 16:48:28 GMT
8.09am Fiji time on 11 June 2017. Adam. PS. Welcome to the ICF "unitedman" hmmmm... Is that Colchester United?
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Post by trehopr1 on Oct 23, 2018 17:42:21 GMT
That looks like a sizable Papilio species too me. Amazing something that size has now only recently been discovered and named. Goes to show you that there are still all kinds of possibilities out there in the environs of remote localities. Wonderful species...
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Post by trehopr1 on Oct 23, 2018 17:46:51 GMT
Travel may have made the world "smaller" but, Mother Nature still holds her secrets tight fisted.
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Post by deliasfanatic on Oct 23, 2018 17:54:22 GMT
An incredible and very distinctive discovery; as much a shock as it was to see the first photo of Papilio esperanza.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2018 18:01:34 GMT
No not Colchester Adam but should couldn't tell the difference this season. I am enthralled by this discovery and it's stunning, can't wait to see the upperside, just makes you wonder what else is out there given that something this striking could go undetected until now.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Oct 23, 2018 18:37:40 GMT
The wingspan of the holotype appears to be 7cm, not huge but not small either. The FW upperside is basically black with a narrow white discal band, and the HW is black and white with a beautiful anal eyespot.
The strangest thing about this butterfly is if it really does belong to Papilio it has sword- rather than spatulate tails.
Adam.
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Post by nomad on Oct 23, 2018 19:01:10 GMT
John Tennent was asked to go there to help recently, he didn't actually discover its presence on the Natewa Peninsula as a result of going there. Adam. ah thank you Adam. I believe I am beginning to understand (I hope), someone photographed it, not knowing it was a new species and when the image was spotted, J.T and others went to look for it.
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Post by Paul K on Oct 23, 2018 20:12:58 GMT
The wingspan of the holotype appears to be 7cm, not huge but not small either. The FW upperside is basically black with a narrow white discal band, and the HW is black and white with a beautiful anal eyespot. The strangest thing about this butterfly is if it really does belong to Papilio it has sword- rather than spatulate tails. Adam. Indeed it looks more like a Graphium species. Paul
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Post by Adam Cotton on Oct 23, 2018 20:40:58 GMT
Indeed it looks more like a Graphium species. However, the male doesn't have an anal scent fold on the hindwing, and the hindwing cell is not bent (all Graphium species have a bend in the hindwing cell). Adam.
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Post by deliasfanatic on Oct 23, 2018 20:58:20 GMT
It will be interesting to see DNA results. My thought is that it's surely a long-isolated offshoot of the P. demolion complex, which coincidentally happens to have some similarities to G. androcles and other "swordtail" Graphium.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2018 20:59:30 GMT
Is there anywhere in existence pictures of the upperside?
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Post by Adam Cotton on Oct 23, 2018 21:11:37 GMT
Is there anywhere in existence pictures of the upperside? Yes, in the original description, but due to copyright issues it can't be posted here. I have a pdf copy that can be disseminated privately for personal research purposes. Adam.
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Post by nomad on Oct 24, 2018 6:33:57 GMT
How apt the butterfly was found in operation Wallacea and thank heavens Ornithologists photograph butterflies as well as birds.
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Post by exoticimports on Oct 24, 2018 11:41:09 GMT
According to what I read, it was discovered on Natewa Peninsula, Vanua Levu.
What's amazing is that many people have been there, yet it remained undiscovered. However, this should come as no surprise, since it's happened time and again. For example, Tennent spent a lot of time on San Christobal and said there was no Polyura jupiter there, until I handed him a fresh female.
Closer to the geography in this topic, it was determined that the "rare and valuable" Xixuthrus heros is actually two species.
There are all manner of great discoveries waiting out there for those willing to spend the time and money to find them. For example, at least one archipellego in Tonga has yet to be entomologically studied at all. I was the first entomologist to survey Tetepare, the largest uninhabited island in the South Pacific...and, so far as I know, no entomologist has been back since.
Chuck
Chuck
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Post by Paul K on Oct 24, 2018 13:23:31 GMT
Indeed it looks more like a Graphium species. However, the male doesn't have an anal scent fold on the hindwing, and the hindwing cell is not bent (all Graphium species have a bend in the hindwing cell). Adam. Ah yes, I didn’t remember about scent fold and I didn’t know about bend cell. Very interesting species and beautiful. This is also surprising that it only occurs on one island only and in one particular location. The Fiji islands are relatively close to each other so I wonder what keeps individuals on one only location (at least one know to this day) May guess would be foodplant as we can read on paper that 5% of plants are endemic to Natewa Peninsula.
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