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Post by trehopr1 on Jan 25, 2022 2:18:00 GMT -8
Birdwing butterflies have had a following and a magnificence all their own ever since they were first discovered, captured, and named. An unshakeable sort of mystic surrounds these large and glorious treasures of some far off primeval jungle. Most of us shall never see these wonderous creatures flying about their native habitat. Some may get to see a few presented in ever popular butterfly houses. However, for most of us hobbyists actually owning just a few of these beauties rewards us with unqualified admiration for what IS possible in nature. I have noticed over time (it seems) that a small fraction of our "jaded" members have little regard for these awe inspiring creatures. I can only add that the simple magnificence of these butterflies has never been lost and shall always be a constant in the hobby. So, for those who truly appreciate grand butterflies I offer up three of my premium examples from my collection.    Though many of us have seen these all before they all offer subspecies of varying and contrasting boldness the likes of which few natural things can compare... |
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Post by Crake on Jan 25, 2022 11:21:24 GMT -8
That’s a beautiful victoriae! It’s a shame they are so hard to come by in the US.
Is that a lidderdalii in the bottom corner?
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Post by trehopr1 on Jan 25, 2022 12:06:27 GMT -8
Indeed, that is a Bhutan Glory that I have in the same drawer. I can post a picture later on tonight of the lone specimen that I have.
I have tried to get the other two species over the years but, never truly found any choice specimens in the collections which I have reviewed. All are tough and pricey finds these days in the U.S.
Victoria remains my favorite birdwing species as the males are so varied in the amounts of green, golds, and yellows present in the males.
And then of course, there is that extraordinary wing shape which the species possesses.
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Post by kevinkk on Jan 25, 2022 16:19:40 GMT -8
Another great "insect interest" post trehopr1. I have one case of Ornithoptera, an 18'x 24" that was empty and it only took 5 pairs to
fill it. Until you actually see the size of these butterflies in person, it's hard to realize how giant some of them are, my procus female
is close to the size of an atlas moth, or at least a large cecropia. I thought about buying only males, so I could fit in more species,
but the sexes are all dimorphic, and it didn't fit with the way I try to organize.
An endless list of forms as well, it's too bad so many are not available here in the USA, and the prices are prohibitive as well, is that all
attributed to actual rarity, or just a random price tag?
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Post by Adam Cotton on Jan 26, 2022 0:58:47 GMT -8
it's too bad so many are not available here in the USA, and the prices are prohibitive as well, is that all attributed to actual rarity, or just a random price tag? Many Ornithoptera species have always been very highly priced, back in the 1970s before CITES and also way before then. The only way to obtain perfect specimens, or any specimens at all of some species which fly in the canopy, is by ranching - collecting pupae from plants grown specifically to attract wild females to lay eggs on them and killing the adults soon after they emerge. Another issue with pricing is of course "supply and demand", when demand is high but supply is low the price goes up. It is worth noting that the commonest species, O. priamus, is much cheaper than the other species. Adam. |
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Post by exoticimports on Jan 26, 2022 6:26:13 GMT -8
An endless list of forms as well, it's too bad so many are not available here in the USA, and the prices are prohibitive as well, is that all attributed to actual rarity, or just a random price tag? Most Ornithoptera aren't all that rare. They are a bugger to catch in the wild, since they stay in the canopy. As Adam said, they're much easier to get as larvae and pupae, if one knows where to look. All have been shown to be rather easy to raise, although getting them to copulate is a different story. In the 1970s and 1980s many species were bred in PNG, and commercially available. Purportedly, the enterprise ended because it wasn't commercially lucrative, not because of lack of specimens. As Adam said, priamus (inc. urvilleanus) are relatively inexpensive. They are generally common, don't seem to mind suburban environments (unlike victoriae), and adults of both sexes readily feed at Hibiscus. The price in USA currently reflects the (lack of) availability. Even into ~2005 or so, retailers legally imported dozens of species/ssp/forms and resold at reasonable prices. But with the internet and ability to buy direct, the prices dropped when the middleman was cut out; meanwhile, breeders/suppliers could see that the retail prices were 5x to 10x what they were paid, so they demanded more money. Bureaucracy too had a hand in the decay of availability, as CITES/USFWS cut off Solomon Islands, and Indonesian and PNG politicians wanted to skim profit from the industry. Prices went up, deliveries slowed. As a result, the legal retailers quit buying and reselling, and most of the breeding/ranching programs ceased to exist. Chuck |
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Post by mothman55 on Jan 30, 2022 11:35:30 GMT -8
Rearing ornithoptera is a truly unforgettable experience. I was lucky enough to get a few ova of priamus euphorion a few years back, and reared a few to adults. T  his photo was taken in my back yard, in a portable greenhouse to prevent escape. I grew my food plant from seeds I got from Texas. |
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Post by mothman55 on Jan 30, 2022 11:36:51 GMT -8
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Post by mothman55 on Jan 30, 2022 11:37:44 GMT -8
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Post by mothman55 on Jan 30, 2022 11:39:02 GMT -8
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Post by mothman55 on Jan 30, 2022 11:40:10 GMT -8
This was my rearing setup in an empty bedroom.  |
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Post by trehopr1 on Jan 30, 2022 11:48:38 GMT -8
Wow, that sounds like an AMAZING personal experience !!
And to think that you did all that literally from "scratch".
Really appreciate the outstanding larval photographs which you have provided. This is a VERY nice additional post on this thread.
Many, many thanks mothman55 !
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Post by Crake on Jan 30, 2022 12:47:41 GMT -8
This was my rearing setup in an empty bedroom. Absolutely incredible! Is that Aristolochia acuminata? |
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Post by livingplanet3 on Jan 30, 2022 14:34:59 GMT -8
Very impressive that you were able to rear O. p. euphorion in your home! Doing something like this was a dream of mine, decades ago. Did you use an Aristolochia species that's a natural host of euphorion? It seems I read somewhere that Ornithoptera species typically need the particular species of Aristolochia that they are adapted to, but perhaps this isn't the case for all?
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Post by biscuit153 on Jan 30, 2022 15:58:21 GMT -8
Wow mothman55, this is quite incredible. Thanks for sharing.
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