New paper - Graphium septentrionicolus

[Adam Cotton]

This was published today:

Cotton, A.M., Doleck, T., Zhang, X., Inayoshi, Y., Lohman, D.J. & Hu, S-J. 2022. Graphium septentrionicolus Page & Treadaway, 2013 (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) is a distinct species. Zootaxa 5154 (2): 211–224.

Abstract

After molecular and morphological analyses, the taxon septentrionicolus Page & Treadaway, 2013 is shown to be a distinct
species, and Graphium adonarensis (Rothschild, 1896) is placed as conspecific with Graphium sarpedon (Linnaeus,
1758). Graphium huangshanensis Wu & Ma, 2016 syn. nov. is synonymised with G. septentrionicolus.

The paper can be downloaded (open access) here:

mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5154.2.6/47693

Adam.

[Adam Cotton]

I thought it would be worth mentioning that if anyone has specimens of 'Graphium sarpedon' from S Tibet, particularly Motuo County from where Chinese sellers sometimes have specimens for sale, these are likely to be Graphium septentrionicolus.

Here are some sample specimen photos

Spring generation:


Summer generation:


Note that I originally thought the summer specimen was Graphium sarpedon, hence the name on the label. It was only when we analysed the DNA of this that we realised they were actually Graphium septentrionicolus, the summer form of which is much larger than G. sarpedon.

Adam.

[Adam Cotton]

Note the long hairs at the base of the hindwing anal fold of Graphium septentrionicolus are cream coloured rather than the pure white of G. sarpedon.

Here is a specimen of G. sarpedon for comparison:


Adam.

[johnerdy]

Wow, they are so big and beautiful. This is probably the most beautiful moth I have ever seen.

donkey kong