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Achillides

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2022 10:09 am
by daveuk
Another favourite genus

First picture: A krishna. Three subspecies. Top row male A krishna charlesi (China) , male A krishna thawgawa(Burma/Myanmar). Bottom row A pair of the nominate subspecies (India.)

Second picture: A lorquinianus. Three subspecies. Top row male A lorquinianus lorquinianus ( Halmahera,Indonesia) , male A lorquinianus albertisi (West Irian/Papua) pair of A lorquinianus esmae (Morotai, Indonesia)

Third picture two male A polyctor pinratanai (Thailand)

Re: Achillides

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2022 1:52 pm
by wollastoni
Gorgeous !

Re: Achillides

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2022 5:32 pm
by adamcotton
daveuk wrote: Thu Jun 02, 2022 10:09 am Third picture two male A polyctor pinratanai (Thailand)
This is now known as Papilio (Achillides) bianor pinratanai Racheli & Cotton, 1983. We described it as a subspecies of Papilio polyctor but subsequently it has been shown to be conspecific with Papilio bianor.

Achillides really is not worth treating as a separate genus to Papilio, separation as a subgenus is sufficient.

Adam.

Re: Achillides

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2022 5:55 pm
by daveuk
adamcotton wrote: Thu Jun 02, 2022 5:32 pm
daveuk wrote: Thu Jun 02, 2022 10:09 am Third picture two male A polyctor pinratanai (Thailand)
This is now known as Papilio (Achillides) bianor pinratanai Racheli & Cotton, 1983. We described it as a subspecies of Papilio polyctor but subsequently it has been shown to be conspecific with Papilio bianor.

Achillides really is not worth treating as a separate genus to Papilio, separation as a subgenus is sufficient.

Adam.
Thanks for the "new" information( for me!) Adam.

Re: Achillides

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2022 6:03 pm
by livingplanet3
Beautiful specimens! I assume you have some P. maackii as well? -

Image

Re: Achillides

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2022 8:19 pm
by daveuk
livingplanet3 wrote: Thu Jun 02, 2022 6:03 pm Beautiful specimens! I assume you have some P. maackii as well? -

Image
Thank You
Yes I do. Spring & summer forms. Lovely butterflies.

Re: Achillides

Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2022 10:27 pm
by mokky
In Japan Papilio(Achillides) maackii ranges from far north to as south as Yakushima, southeastern island. It shows splendid seasonal and individual variation. Many colleagues are crazy about this swallowtail. In general, spring form of northern population is beautiful. One of my friends put the pupas in the fridge to make the form more spectacular. Most pupas die or fail to emerge by its cold temperature but a few survivors become jewels. I share one of the examples with you.
maackii.jpg
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Re: Achillides

Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2022 10:39 pm
by mokky
On Achillides, I have been interested in a rare Himalayan species, elephenor.

This species is not at all beautiful as most relatives. But its rarity is overwhelming. It was re-discovered after decades from NE India in 2009. After this finding, a few additional records are known from Assam and West Bengal in India.

https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... ssam_India

Females of this species are still only two specimens in the world. One is in BMNH, London and the other is in UMUT, Tokyo. The latter one was originally from Igarashi collection. Dr. Igarashi Suguru (1924-2008) was a great researcher who is well-know by his comprehensive study in Papilionidae and early stages of Asian butterflies.

Re: Achillides

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2022 3:54 pm
by livingplanet3
mokky wrote: Fri Jun 03, 2022 10:27 pm One of my friends put the pupas in the fridge to make the form more spectacular. Most pupas die or fail to emerge by its cold temperature but a few survivors become jewels. I share one of the examples with you.
Indeed - I've never seen a P. bianor with coloration like that!

Re: Achillides

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2022 4:00 pm
by adamcotton
livingplanet3 wrote: Sat Jun 04, 2022 3:54 pm Indeed - I've never seen a P. bianor with coloration like that!
That's because this is Papilio maackii, not bianor which does not occur in Japan anyway. The species in the bianor group in Japan is Papilio dehaanii.

Adam.

Re: Achillides

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2022 4:07 pm
by livingplanet3
adamcotton wrote: Sat Jun 04, 2022 4:00 pm
livingplanet3 wrote: Sat Jun 04, 2022 3:54 pm Indeed - I've never seen a P. bianor with coloration like that!
That's because this is Papilio maackii, not bianor which does not occur in Japan anyway. The species in the bianor group in Japan is Papilio dehaanii.

Adam.
My apologies - that was a typo; I meant to say maackii.

So, P. dehaanii is not considered a ssp. of bianor?

Re: Achillides

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2022 4:54 pm
by hewi
Papilio karna carnatus female.JPG
Papilio karna carnatus female.JPG (784.88 KiB) Viewed 1339 times
Papilio karna carnatus female

Re: Achillides

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2022 5:00 pm
by hewi
Papilio pericles var.
DSCF4636.JPG
DSCF4636.JPG (793.62 KiB) Viewed 1336 times

Re: Achillides

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2022 5:05 pm
by hewi
Papilio daedalus daedalus var.
DSCF4637.JPG
DSCF4637.JPG (769.31 KiB) Viewed 1336 times

Re: Achillides

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2022 6:49 pm
by adamcotton
livingplanet3 wrote: Sat Jun 04, 2022 4:07 pm My apologies - that was a typo; I meant to say maackii.

So, P. dehaanii is not considered a ssp. of bianor?
No, dehaanii and ryukyuensis (from Okinawa and Amami Is.) are both separate species from Papilio bianor. Hybrids between dehaanii and bianor are infertile, and DNA analysis shows they are separate.

Adam.

PS. No problem about the typo, but as you can understand it was important to clarify.

Re: Achillides

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2022 8:26 pm
by Yorky
adamcotton wrote: Sat Jun 04, 2022 6:49 pm
livingplanet3 wrote: Sat Jun 04, 2022 4:07 pm My apologies - that was a typo; I meant to say maackii.

So, P. dehaanii is not considered a ssp. of bianor?
No, dehaanii and ryukyuensis (from Okinawa and Amami Is.) are both separate species from Papilio bianor. Hybrids between dehaanii and bianor are infertile, and DNA analysis shows they are separate.

Adam.

PS. No problem about the typo, but as you can understand it was important to clarify.

Re: Achillides

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2022 8:30 pm
by Yorky
Ssp hachijonis from Hachijo jima, spring and summer forms.

Re: Achillides

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2022 8:38 pm
by Yorky
Male tokaraensis

Re: Achillides

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2022 8:39 pm
by Yorky
A very nice paris x dehaanii

Re: Achillides

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2022 11:11 pm
by mokky
Yorky wrote: Sat Jun 04, 2022 8:30 pm Ssp hachijonis from Hachimo- Jima, spring and summer forms.
Hi, Yorky-san.
FYI, "Hachimo- Jima" is not correct. "Hachijo-jima" is the true name. "Jima" means "island" in Japanese.
Hachijo-jima is located ca.300 km south of central Tokyo (but is indeed a part of Tokyo Prefecture. Tokyo Prefecture contains as south as Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands located ca.1000 km south of central Tokyo! Tokyo is much huge area than you think).