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Post by simosg on Mar 5, 2013 11:23:34 GMT -8
Indeed! The world is small.
Hannes
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Post by nomad on Mar 5, 2013 11:24:30 GMT -8
Norman you are quite right, and it is indeed, the Paul Smart specimen, here we do indeed have a genuine O. chimaera flavidior male with data. I know he has a number of ex Paul Smart specimens and was probably at the original sale. I wish I owned this, such a amazing rarity among Ornithoptera
Thank you for pointing this out.
Regards Peter
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Post by nomad on Mar 9, 2013 0:45:24 GMT -8
Indeed! The world is small. Hannes I now know some of the unusual history of the historic Paul Smart O. chimaera flavidior specimen. It arrived in the Paul Smart collection in the 1970's from the Huon Peninsular and was sold with the rest of his collection in the 1980's and bought by a unknown buyer. It then turns in the possession of a well known collector/dealer in Australia [ who is a member but has not posted for a long time] and he sells it to a friend, who's Ornithoptera collection containing the flavidior is bought by the present owner, who was at that time living on that continent. This collector returned to live in England after a number of years, of course bringing his extensive collection with him, which includes the extremely rare flavidior male specimen. Until now, the present owner seemed unaware he actually had the historic Paul Smart specimen. After many thousands of miles of travel this specimen has worn quite well [ although I have noticed there is a small amount of damage to the right antenna tip]. This surely is one globe trotting specimen. |
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Post by nomad on Mar 9, 2013 13:37:16 GMT -8
 A specimen of the very lovely Ornithoptera victoriae rubianus from the remote Ranongga Island [ New Georgia Group] in the Solomon Islands [ 1972 ]. Attachments:
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Post by froggy on Mar 16, 2013 7:23:22 GMT -8
Eye Candy for the Birdwing collector  ;D There are several rare and very pretty forms in this set!!!  I found this interesting arragement on a Japanese site a few month ago. Enjoy... Thierry Attachments:
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Post by butterflyeffect14 on Mar 19, 2013 7:35:31 GMT -8
someone have contacts in papua new guinea that i can to contact!!  ?? next june i ìd like to visit png to see Alexandrae and maybe find some farmer.. |
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Post by nomad on Mar 19, 2013 10:29:11 GMT -8
someone have contacts in papua new guinea that i can to contact!! ?? next june i ìd like to visit png to see Alexandrae and maybe find some farmer.. Welcome to the forum. Yes it would be great to visit Papua to see this magnificent species. O. alexandrae as you probably know is on Cites One and is not currently being farmed in Papua for sale, as it illegal to trade or collect this birdwing. Look up the old and recent threads on the forum for more information on this butterfly. Additional information of where to view this species in Papua can be found in the ' Natural History of Birdwing Butterflies published in Japan by H. Matsuka [2001]. It is interesting that Matsuka noted that at certain periods during the year, the adults stayed high in the canopy visiting small flowers but there was a couple of months when their favourite blossom trees were not in flower and both sexes then started to visit the village gardens where they fed at Hibiscus blooms. Peter. |
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Post by Adam Cotton on Mar 19, 2013 10:40:27 GMT -8
It is interesting that Matsuka noted that at certain periods during the year, the adults stayed high in the canopy visiting small flowers but there was a couple of months when their favourite blossom trees were not in flower and both sexes then started to visit the village gardens where they fed at Hibiscus blooms. This also happens with other Troidini. In the case of Byasa laos, for example, most of the year the adults fly high in the canopy, only visiting the ground early in the morning when it is still cool, and feed on flowers high in the trees. However, in July-August there are almost no flowers in the canopy, and then the adults come down to the flowers at ground level. Adam. Attachments:
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Post by nomad on Mar 22, 2013 11:20:08 GMT -8
A very golden male of Ornithoptera goliath supremus from the little known and remote Bewani Mountains in north-west Papua New Guinea, near the Indonesian border. This specimen was collected by Jan Pasternak during his expedition there in 1980. See Jan's ' A Naturalist in Birdwing Paradisea' CD Rom for further details of his journey to this remote locality. One of the dangers here was being taken hostage by the O.P.M, 'The Free Papua Movement'. Attachments:
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Post by nomad on Mar 23, 2013 0:34:31 GMT -8
O. paradisea borchi collected by Jan Pasternak in the little know Bewani mtn range in 1980. Some bad staining the on wings, but this specimen is very interesting to compare with those populations further east at Jayapura Indonesia and from other known populations in Papua Attachments:
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Post by nomad on Mar 23, 2013 0:43:42 GMT -8
A female of the rare Ornithoptera tithonus tithonus from the foothills of the Weyland Mountains, East of Lake Yamur in Western New Guinea. This specimen was collected by Jan Pasternak during his expedition to that remote area.. Attachments:
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Post by wollastoni on Mar 23, 2013 0:47:47 GMT -8
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Post by nomad on Mar 23, 2013 1:29:57 GMT -8
 The more gold spots on the hindwing of O. aesacus , in my opinion the most beautiful species of the Priamus Group, the more desirable a specimen seems to become.
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Post by froggy on Mar 23, 2013 5:33:32 GMT -8
Peter, Thanks for posting more interesting birdwing picts. Aesacus is indeed a superbe insect. Here's an unusual purple color variation from my pict collection, and with spots too! Enjoy Thierry Attachments:
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Post by froggy on Apr 27, 2013 8:11:18 GMT -8
Mullerian mimicry amongst the birdwings? O. Goliath Procus and Samson (bottom) matched to Priamus Priamus and Paradisea Chrysanthemum (top). I would love to see other birdwing examples of this interesting covergence. Thierry Attachments:
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A specimen of the very lovely Ornithoptera victoriae rubianus from the remote Ranongga Island [ New Georgia Group] in the Solomon Islands [ 1972 ]. 
;D
?? next june i ìd like to visit png to see Alexandrae and maybe find some farmer..
The more gold spots on the hindwing of O. aesacus , in my opinion the most beautiful species of the Priamus Group, the more desirable a specimen seems to become.
