If you have them, show us pictures of the giant house spiders, along with something to show the scale.

I have noticed something. There are fewer spiders in my house now that it is the cold season. A plus,
since earlier this year I caught 2 giant and creepy spiders in my house. When someone with a life size tarantula
tattoo on his back says a spider is big and creepy, it is. Giant House spiders to be specific, and aptly named.
The only down side are the ants, who are looking for warmer and drier digs. The spiders are lucky, they get
captured and tossed outdoors, unless they don't fit in my spider jar... The ants, are well, out of luck, they eat
ant bait at least until they come in formation and overwhelm the bait, a sound strategy, unless you're the bridge.

Of course this is the nominate subspecies. There is considerable variation from specimens with completely dark hindwings to those with a distinct white postdiscal patch in the nominate ssp, but the majority tend to be dark.

Ssp. albosyfanius mainly has a distinct white hindwing postdiscal patch.

Adam.

A specimen of male Papilio syfanius caught from Ganzi, Sichuan of China. I used to read from some literature that the nominate subspecies distrbuted in Sichuan, and the ssp. albosyfanius mainly distrbuted in NW. and C. Yunnan and also S. Sichuan. So I don't known whether it is nominate subspecies or ssp. albosyfanius >0<

RAN ACROSS AD FOR AMAZONINSECTS IN PERU.
THEY SAY THEY OFFER COLLECTING TRIPS IN PERU AND COLOMBIA. TRAVELING. STAY AT PRIVATE HOMES.


ANY FEED BACK

THANKS
TDS

wollastoni wrote: ↑Mon Dec 11, 2023 5:28 pm For the moment, they are still on the spreading board and I don't see much differences, but this abdomen without any clasper.
Satyridae often have nearly no sexual dimorphism so it is not so easy.
I guess a DNA test or a genitalia preparation will be needed to be 100% sure.

Just take a fine-tipped artist paint brush, and very gently dust off the scales to see if it has claspers or anal palps. For best results, cut the brush at about the 50% point, so that the bristles are a little stiffer for removing the scales. And be careful about knocking off the abdomen.

If I had to take a wild guess - I'd say male. I think I see an upward-jutting valvae approaching the uncas at the top.

john

adamcotton wrote: ↑Tue Dec 12, 2023 10:14 am Here is one of my boxes of ssp. rumanzovia with a variety of different female forms:

rumanzovia box s.jpg

Some are similar to ssp. deiphontes but they are not that ssp., which comes from N. Moluccas. If they come from the Philippines (except the small island chain SW of Mindanao) then they belong to ssp. rumanzovia.

Adam.

You are so kind and it is amazing. Thank you very much.

Here is one of my boxes of ssp. rumanzovia with a variety of different female forms:
Some are similar to ssp. deiphontes but they are not that ssp., which comes from N. Moluccas. If they come from the Philippines (except the small island chain SW of Mindanao) then they belong to ssp. rumanzovia.

Adam.

Thanks Adam

adamcotton wrote: ↑Mon Dec 11, 2023 9:26 am Your friend's female is almost certainly the nominate subspecies, from Ceram or Ambon.

Adam.

Thanks for your reply ^0^, and that is very helpful. So many forms for ssp. rumanzovia. I saw a label writing 'Papilio rumanzovia f.deiphontes' before and the phenotype is much similar with figure 3B above, so it should be ssp. deiphontes of Papilio deiphobus, right? The female rumanzovia I have seen is really different with it.

For the moment, they are still on the spreading board and I don't see much differences, but this abdomen without any clasper.
Satyridae often have nearly no sexual dimorphism so it is not so easy.
I guess a DNA test or a genitalia preparation will be needed to be 100% sure.

I have no idea about Satyrinae genitalia, but it is worth comparing your specimen with males to see if there is presence/absence of secondary sexual wing characters such as male androconial scales/patches/tufts. If males of the same species have these but your specimen does not then it is likely to be a female.

Adam.

Yes, we have a lot of error 500 and error 508...
It can work if you refresh the pages.

Our team is on it, but the software producer (Ilance) seems to have disappeared... so not easy...

"Coleopterists I'm pretty sure all dream about great big things with big horns or pincers, no matter what their micro-focus is."

Funny, I usually dream of small black or brown beetles when I dream of beetles. Interestingly, I recently dreamed of an immaculate specimen of an extremely rare butterfly stray to my area after coming across some in a museum. Unfortunately, in my dream I didn't have a net and it got scared off.

Anyone inspired ?

Your friend's female is almost certainly the nominate subspecies, from Ceram or Ambon.

Adam.

Here is my synonymy of Papilio deiphobus:

Papilio deiphobus Linnaeus, 1758
ssp. rumanzovia Eschscholtz, 1821 (TL.: Manilla)
= krusensternia Eschscholtz, 1821 (TL.: Manilla)
= floridor Godart, 1824 (TL.: Philippines)
= emalthion (Hübner, [1824]) (TL.: not stated)
= descombii Roger, 1826 (TL.: Philippines) [Unavailable name]
= descombesi Boisduval, 1836 (TL.: Manilles)
= rumanzowius Fruhstorfer, 1900 [Incorrect Subsequent Spelling]
= ciris Fruhstorfer, 1909 (TL.: Bazilan; Mindoro)
= spinturnix Fruhstorfer, 1909 (TL.: Talaud)
= honorius Fruhstorfer, 1911 (TL.: Sangir) [Junior Homonym]
♀ var. semperinus Haase, 1891 (TL.: Philippinen)
♀-f. eubalia Jordan, 1909 (Siao)
f. ♀ paya Fruhstorfer, 1911 (Sangir)
f. ♀ risena Fruhstorfer, 1911 (Sangir)
f. ♀ carnia Fruhstorfer, 1911 (Sangir)
f. tekichanus Matsumura, 1931 (Formosa)
f. moscai Sala, 1992 (Cebu, Philippinas)
ssp. tarawakana (Page & Treadaway, 1996) (TL.: Tarawakan, Tawitawi)
ssp. deiphontes C. Felder & R. Felder, 1864 (TL.: Ternate, Halmaheira, Batjan)
= deiphontes Wallace, 1865 (TL.: Batchian, Gilolo, Ternate, Morty Isl.) [Junior Homonym]
var. flava Oberthür, 1879 (Ternate)
ssp. deipylus C. Felder & R. Felder, 1865 (TL.: Nova Guinea [loc. err. = Waigeo])
= deipylus C & R Felder, 1864 (Nova Guinea) [Nomen Nudum]
ssp. aristartus Fruhstorfer, 1916 (TL.: Holländisch Neu-Guinea)
ssp. efbensis Talbot, 1932 (TL.: Misol. foothills, 100-500 feet)
ssp. obideiphobus Hachitani, 1989 (TL.: Obi Is.)
ssp. deiphobus Linnaeus, 1758 (TL.: Asia [= Ambon])
= alcandor Cramer, 1776 (TL.: Isle d’Amboine)
ab. hypoxanthos Röber, 1891 (Key Islands)
hypoxanthus Rothschild, 1895 [Incorrect Subsequent Spelling]

Some subspecies have tails, others do not. There are not normally tailed and tailless forms of the same subspecies, unlike P. memnon, although it is possible that occasional specimens may vary. Ssp. deiphobus often has yellow spots instead of red, these were named 'form flava'.

Adam.

eurytides wrote: ↑Sun Dec 10, 2023 10:32 pm When Pavulaan and Wright described Papilio appalachiensis in 2002, they actually designated a neotype for Papilio turnus. Is this still valid?

No, a neotype designation is invalid if there is extant original type material. Pavulaan & Wright obviously did not see Honey & Scoble (2001).

Adam.

A pin almost half way along each forewing costa and either side of the abdomen as well as base of forewings would be better.

Adam.

Can i have some advice on bestcway to fly overseas with 3 set specimens, rare, .
Is pinned on foam on abdomen sises and 1 pin each side of base of forewings the wayvto go,
?