Ludlow's Bhutan Glory was discovered from India!!

Ludlow's Bhutan Glory(Bhutanitis ludlowi) was discovered from India!!

▲ A male of Bhutanitis ludlowi visiting a flower

(Trashiyangtse, E. Bhutan, Aug. 2011)  Photo by WATANABE Yasuyuki



 

A great news has just arrived from India!

 

   Ludlow's Bhutan Glory (Bhutanitis ludlowi) was discovered from Arunachal Pradesh, India. This magnificent swallowtail was re-discovered after almost 80-year absence in 2009. This species was thought to be endemic to small area of eastern Bhutan. In 2011, our society has a joint research with Bhutanese government and unveiled its biology.

 

   The observation and finding in our survey was described in our journal, Butterflies No.60.

 

    see  http://bsj-t.blogspot.jp/2012/06/our-journal-butterflies-teinopalpus.html

 

   The new discovery from India expands the distribution of this swallowtail. 

 

   Details are available from the following link.

 

   see  http://ifoundbutterflies.org/54-bhutanitis/bhutanitis-ludlowi

 

 

Our journal, Butterflies (Teinopalpus) No.61 has been published!

 ▲"Butterflies (Teinopalpus)" No.61

 

Our journal, Butterflies (Teinopalpus) No.61 has been published!     Our journal Butterflies (Teinopalpus) has just been published. In this new volume No.61, the featured paper is as follows.

Miyagi, A. Field observations of Pithecops corvus from autumn through next spring in Okinawa Island

 

▲The paper



This issue is available for non-members. Those who would like to get the copy, please send e-mail to the following address. One copy is 40 US$ (including the international postal fee)

[Contact] welcome_scripts@yahoo.co.jp

 

[Movie File] Ovipositional behavior of Vanessa indica

[Movie File]　Ovipositional behavior of Vanessa indica　
   It is amazing that butterflies can select their foodplants correctly to lay eggs from numerous kinds of plants growing in the field. Once the mother butterfly successfully comes near to her foodplant then she starts to drum the surfice of nearby leaves at random to find the real one. This is because the butterfly has the chemotactile receptor on its foretarsus so it tries to "taste" the plant chemically by this behavior.

 

▲Usual style of the adult butterfly. Forelegs are folded on the thorax.

 

▲Forelegs magnified.

　In the case of Nymphalid butterfly, it uses the forelegs which are usually folded on its thorax. This video is the female of Indian Admiral (Vanessa indica) which is drumming its foodplant, Ramie (Boehmeria nivea) by its forelegs. In the field, it is not easy to observe such an interesting behavior.

(Okinawa, JAPAN September, 2009)

 

 

An abberant form of Common Bluebottle (Graphium sarpedon)

▲Graphium sarpedon (Vietnam)
　Left; Normal form Right; Abberant form(preserved in RIEB)

▲　Ditto, underside

An abberant form of Common Bluebottle (Graphium sarpedon)

   Common bluebottle (Graphium sarpedon) is known to have an abberant form which lacks almost all its bluish spots on its wings. This blackish form is very rare but found in many places from old days. Checking the wing patterns of this form carefully, one can find out the one bluish spot on its each forewing's apex usually remains although all the other bluish spots are missing. The reason is not certain but it is possible that this spot may have some special meaning.

"Rainbow Bridge" A huge artwork made of butterfly specimens

"Rainbow Bridge" A huge artwork made of butterfly specimens

　Above photo is the huge artwork made of numerous butterfly specimens such as Great Purple Emperor (Sasakia charonda), Morpho spp., Delias spp. and so on. You can see this great work in the 10-year anniversary special exhibition held at Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History and Human History. Dr. Kyoichiro UEDA, the curator at this museum and the trustee of our society, will be welcoming you.

[Movie File] Fischer's Cupid (Tongeia fischeri)

[Movie File] Fischer's Cupid (Tongeia fischeri) 　

Fischer's Cupid (Tongeia fischeri) is a small Lycaenid butterfly which ranges broadly in eastern Eurasia. In Japan it can be seen from central to southern district. This species is popular among some Japanese butterfly enthusiasts because it flies until late in autumn after other butterfly species disappear. In addition it has a slight local variation in its wing markings, so some enthusiasts are eagerly collecting as many specimens as possible from various localities. Larva feeds on succulent plants such as Orostachys japonica.

(Matsumoto-shi, Nagano, JAPAN October 2012)

 

 ▲A adult butterfly basking. Blackish upperside has faint gloss under sunlight.



▲Foodplant; Orostachys japonica In autumn numerous small collective flowers bloom in ears. These flowers are good nectaring sources for adult butterflies.

 

 



The Constable (Genus Dichorragia) and its allies (Part 2)

▲Dichorragia nesimachus pelurius(C. Sulawesi, Indoneia)

[preserved in RIEB, Tokyo]

   Continued to the previous post, the Constable (Genus Dichorragia) and its allies are introduced. First of all, Dichorragia nesimachus has many sub-species especially in southeastern Asian Islands. One of the examples is shown above. This is the subspecies endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia. It is much larger in size and the pointed apex in forewings is quite different from Japanese subspecies.

▲Stibochiona nicea (Yunnan, China)

[preserved in RIEB, Tokyo]

▲Stibochiona coresia (Sumatra, Indonesia)

[preserved in RIEB, Tokyo]

 

   The above two species belong to Genus Stibochiona. This small Genus contains three species from India to southeastern Asian islands. Among them, Stibochiona nicea is confined to continental Asia from India to China including Indochina and Malaysia. Another species, Stibochiona coresia is known from Sumatra and Java in Indonesia. Both species seem to be allied species of Dichorragia nesimachus from thier wing markings. 

 

▲Amnosia decora (Sumatra, Indonesia)

[preserved in RIEB, Tokyo]

▲Ditto, Underside

 

   On the other hand, there is a very interesting species in Malaysia and Indonesia. Amnosia decora seems to belong to Amathusiinae or Satyrinae at a glance. But this species is definitely the allied species of Dichorragia nesimachus, considering its early stages. Amnosia is monotypic genus, this species is known from Malay Peninsula to Sumatra or Java.