Regarding the reference to "Smyrna" in Cramer's description of P. hyllus, at least eight municipalities are named Smyrna in the United States, but they were either founded during the nineteenth century (including Smyrna, NY, which was founded in 1808), and/or are located outside the range of this species. Cramer placed a number of species in "Smyrna," most of which are not North American. It is well established that many of Cramer’s localities are erroneous.Chuck wrote: Mon Feb 17, 2025 8:24 pm BTW there is a Smyrna NY, and Jamaica N.Y. is now part of queens.
Locality labels were rarely affixed to specimens during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Cabinet labels (pinned at the head or foot of a series of specimens) were used for identification purposes, but locality data were often recorded in separate catalogs or log books. If the specimens were later sold or exchanged, locality information was frequently lost or imprecisely conveyed. The illustrated type specimen of Papilio hyllus likely passed through the hands of at least four people during its existence, thus its type locality cannot be trusted. After tracing the likely provenance of the specimen, I concluded that it was collected during the 1760s in the vicinity of Brooklyn, Long Island, NY. Hence my selection of a neotype specimen from that locality.
John
