How frequent is form melanescens amongst Papilio antimachus?
Mar 1, 2019 14:16:39 GMT
deliasfanatic, skandinavisk, and 1 more like this
Post by mothylator on Mar 1, 2019 14:16:39 GMT
Hi guys,
Has anyone seen examples of the partially melanized Papilio antimachus?
Or have any idea how frequently it occurs amongst normal forms?
I was reviewing the variants and historical literature on P antimachus, and came across FD leCerf's fascinating annotated catalogue of African butterfly forms and variations amassed amongst JJ Joicey's huge and financially ruinous 380,000 piece "Hill Museum" collection.
James John Joicey deserves a whole thread of his own. He was a double-bankrupt owing to his obsessive interest in collecting first orchids (bankrupted owing a huge sum of £30,000), then butterflies. He died in 1932 shortly after being declared bankrupt owing a colossal £300,000. Just shows how collecting can get out of hand....
(erm. yes. well I could give it up, any time, honestly........!).
Adam Cotton probably knows le Cerf's article by heart, but it's here [edited to correct the date]: Catalogue Annoté des "Types" et formes nouvelles des Papilios de l'Afrique contenu du "Hill Museum". Bulletin of the Hill Museum, 1, 1924, 369-399
Papilio antimachus f. melanescens (forme nouvelle) is described (p372) from a specimen ex. coll. Suffert, in the Hill Museum. Holotype location "Congo" [sic].
The description reads:
"Forme mélanisante avec la coloration brun fauve des ailes supérieures obscurcie au bord interne as sur le disque; extrémité de la cellule et régions avoisinantes noirâtres. Sous la cellule il n'y a qu'une tache brune, très foncée, la seconde failt défaut ainsi que les croissants subterminaux fauves des intervalles 3 et 4, et les traits clairs subapicaux placés entre les nervures 5 et 8, de sorte qu'il n'existe que deux croissants bruns, réduits et abscurs entre 1b-3."
"Melanised form with tawny brown coloration of the forewings darkened at the inner edge and within the disc; the end of the cell and surrounding areas blackish. Beneath the cell there is only one brown spot, very dark, the second is deficient [lit. lacking?], as well as the short submarginal cross-markings of intervals 3 and 4, and the subapical pale markings placed between ribs 5 and 8, so that there are only two brown cross-markings, reduced and obscure between 1b-3."
I recently saw one matching the description (top example in pic attached) - first one I've seen.
Anyone have more pics or information to share?
Has anyone seen examples of the partially melanized Papilio antimachus?
Or have any idea how frequently it occurs amongst normal forms?
I was reviewing the variants and historical literature on P antimachus, and came across FD leCerf's fascinating annotated catalogue of African butterfly forms and variations amassed amongst JJ Joicey's huge and financially ruinous 380,000 piece "Hill Museum" collection.
James John Joicey deserves a whole thread of his own. He was a double-bankrupt owing to his obsessive interest in collecting first orchids (bankrupted owing a huge sum of £30,000), then butterflies. He died in 1932 shortly after being declared bankrupt owing a colossal £300,000. Just shows how collecting can get out of hand....
(erm. yes. well I could give it up, any time, honestly........!).
Adam Cotton probably knows le Cerf's article by heart, but it's here [edited to correct the date]: Catalogue Annoté des "Types" et formes nouvelles des Papilios de l'Afrique contenu du "Hill Museum". Bulletin of the Hill Museum, 1, 1924, 369-399
Papilio antimachus f. melanescens (forme nouvelle) is described (p372) from a specimen ex. coll. Suffert, in the Hill Museum. Holotype location "Congo" [sic].
The description reads:
"Forme mélanisante avec la coloration brun fauve des ailes supérieures obscurcie au bord interne as sur le disque; extrémité de la cellule et régions avoisinantes noirâtres. Sous la cellule il n'y a qu'une tache brune, très foncée, la seconde failt défaut ainsi que les croissants subterminaux fauves des intervalles 3 et 4, et les traits clairs subapicaux placés entre les nervures 5 et 8, de sorte qu'il n'existe que deux croissants bruns, réduits et abscurs entre 1b-3."
"Melanised form with tawny brown coloration of the forewings darkened at the inner edge and within the disc; the end of the cell and surrounding areas blackish. Beneath the cell there is only one brown spot, very dark, the second is deficient [lit. lacking?], as well as the short submarginal cross-markings of intervals 3 and 4, and the subapical pale markings placed between ribs 5 and 8, so that there are only two brown cross-markings, reduced and obscure between 1b-3."
I recently saw one matching the description (top example in pic attached) - first one I've seen.
Anyone have more pics or information to share?