Papilio maackii albosyfanius

This is actually ssp. albosyfanius. The white patches and red submarginal lunules mimic Byasa polyeuctes. In Sichuan where most of the Byasa are dark the highland maackii is also dark, thus ssp syfanius is either without these patches or they are much less distinct, like the Byasa they mimic.

Note that in the lowlands of Sichuan at the base of the high mountains there is another ssp of maackii (ssp shimogorii) which looks very similar to bianor, but when examined carefully are obviously maackii.

Adam.

The white form from Sichuan is not albosyfanius, it is a variant of ssp. syfanius. It's very rarely as white as in Yunnan, mostly either all dark or with the white patch rather faint, although there are some localities with a preponderance of whiter specimens (eg from Erlangshan, but in Simian they are all dark). This corresponds to the frequency of white spotted Byasa polyeuctes lama in these localities.

'syfanius' from Yunnan is always very white and never without the spot, unlike in Sichuan where truly white spotted specimens are rare. That is why they are separated into 2 ssp.

Adam.

Here's my current synonymy of maackii (available names in bold, type localities in () where checked by me, ISS = incorrect subsequent spelling):

maackii Ménétriés, 1859

ssp. kitawakii Shimogôri & Fujioka, 1997 (23km N. of Zayu, East Thibet)
= pavonis Chou, Zhang & Xie, 2000 (Yunnan)

ssp. syfanius Oberthür, 1886 (W. China)
= syphanius Verity, 1907 (ISS)
= superans Draeseke, 1923 (Tatsienlu)
= kongaensis (Yoshino, 1997) (Mt. Kongashan, Luting county, near Kanting, Sichuan prov., China)
= sichuanica (Schäffler, 2004) (West of Leshan, ‘Red Basin’, East Sichuan, China)
f. albomaculata Verity, 1907 (Ta-tong-kiao, N. W. China)
f. pseudomaackii (Schäffler, 2004) (West of Leshan, ‘Red Basin’, East Sichuan, China)

ssp. shimogorii Fujioka, 1997 (Mt. Omeishan, Sichuan, China)

ssp. albosyfanius Shimogôri & Fujioka, 1997 (Likiang, Yunnan, China)

ssp. han (Yoshino, 1997) (Mt. Wuyishan, Fujiang prov., China)

ssp. maackii Ménétriés, 1859 (les montagnes de Chingan, jusqu’a Khangar, Amur)
= raddei Bremer, 1861 (Bureja)
= jutanus Fenton in Ishikawa, 1882 (not only in Hokkaido, but also in the mountains of the main island)
= tutanus Fenton, 1882 (Toshima and Iburi, Hokkaido)
= satakei Matsumura, 1919
= maaki Draeseke, 1923 (ISS)
= jezoensis Matsumura, 1927
= mandshurica Matsumura, 1927
= kurilensis Matsumura, 1928
= kaiensis Masuda, 1929
= masuokai Kato, 1937
= koraiveris Bryk, 1946
= mirus Korshunov, 1998
= isshikii Matsumura, 1927
= minima Kardakoff, 1928
= viridissima Kardakoff, 1928
= ogamidakensis Kanda, 1930
= paki Murayama, 1963

Note that I treat tutanus as a synonym of maackii. Interestingly the earliest published spelling was jutanus, as Fenton published the name as new twice in the same year in different journals. However, under the prevailing usage rules in the ICZN Code, tutanus is the valid name.

raddei is generally used for the spring form of maackii from Russia but was validly described, minima is indeed an unavailable form name.

The Tibet ssp. is called kitawakii, and is found in eastern Tibet and far northwestern Yunnan. It is very green and lacks any white markings on the hindwings.

Adam.

P. maacki female from Ussuri (Primorskij Kraj).

Jean-Marc,

The subspecies is maackii maackii (note there are 2 'i's), raddei can be regarded as the name for the spring form, or just a synonym of maackii.

The type of maackii came from Amur, and the type of raddei came from Bureja, which is in southern Amur. Ussuri is not far from there, and anyway the variation of ssp maackii is environmental, partly caused by the length of diapause in winter. Last year I kept some 'tutanus' pupae from Honshu in the fridge until May and they emerged looking like the much more northerly maackii.

Adam.

maackii.

Adam.