Tirumala choaspes kalawara, Sulawesi - (Danainae from Sabah)

[jmg]

This Danainae species has been observed in the Danum Valley (National Park) in Sabah (Malaysia, Northern Borneo). According the litterature, it could be : Tirumala limniace kuchingana Moulton, 1915 (Type Locality : Kuching, Sarawak). Nevertheless, I'm unable to find out a single picture from this taxon (not illustrated in d'Abrera, nor in Butterflies of the South East Asian Islands, vol. 2).

H. L. Lewis in Butterflies of the World presents a butterfly matching more or less with the Danum sample : Tirumala choaspes (Butler, 1866). Problem: D. choaspes is given (funet, for example) from Sulawesi (same area for the subspecies: Sula, Buton).

Any acurate information welcomed !!! Many thanks in advance !

[Adam Cotton]

Here's the original description (Entomologist, 48: 97), no illustration there either.

Adam.

[jmg]

Dear Adam,

many thanks for this uncommon description. I'll check it seriously with the Danum specimen.

[jmg]

I found out the butterfly ! The photo was wrongly localized : not from Sabah but from Sulawesi Center : Taman Lore Lindu. So, the Danainae butterfly is :

Tirumala choaspes kalawara Martin, 1913

And T. choaspes kalawara is pictured in the Vane-Wright & de Jong, The Butterflies of Sulawesi.

Sorry !

[Adam Cotton]

I wonder whether the out of print Japanese work, Otsuka 1988. Butterflies of Borneo vol. 1, has a picture of kuchingana? I only have vol. 2 and a scan of the Papilionidae pages of vol. 1.

Adam.