Delias messalina gerrittsi female
Mar 11, 2016 12:26:30 GMT
daveuk, deliasfanatic, and 4 more like this
Post by nomad on Mar 11, 2016 12:26:30 GMT
A very fresh specimen of a Delias messalina gerrittsi female added to my collection. Caught this year, 7 January 2016, 1500 m approx, Schleinitz Mountains, New Ireland, PNG.
Captured by a native collector climbing sixty meters into the canopy without the aid of ropes, swinging a long handled net.
Delias messalina is a very rare beauty and a especially difficult species to obtain. This species was discovered by William Brandt at the remote village of Guava in May 1953 in the mountains of Bougainville. It is surprising that this very distinct species was not described until 1983 by Ramnik Arora of the BMNH. Since that time four other subspecies have found found, two quite recently.
Captured by a native collector climbing sixty meters into the canopy without the aid of ropes, swinging a long handled net.
Delias messalina is a very rare beauty and a especially difficult species to obtain. This species was discovered by William Brandt at the remote village of Guava in May 1953 in the mountains of Bougainville. It is surprising that this very distinct species was not described until 1983 by Ramnik Arora of the BMNH. Since that time four other subspecies have found found, two quite recently.
