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Post by lepidofrance on Jul 4, 2013 0:20:43 GMT -8
"I would be interested to know if there are other collectors of Delias butterflies on InsectNet. com Forum"
Yes, I collect Delias butterflies.
But only those I catch myself .... And because I have not enough money to spend monthes in Papua or Maluku, my collection is rather small ...
I have species from Arfak and mainly from Sulawesi and Flores, no speaking about those from Thailand or Laos.
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cyane
Junior Member
Posts: 47
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Post by cyane on Jul 4, 2013 5:09:53 GMT -8
I think this is a good place to show a link to "Delving into Delias" a paper by Chris Muller, Pavel F. Matos-Maravı and Luciano B. Beheregaray. The abstract states : "Aim: Our objective was to reconstruct a species-level phylogeny of the genus Delias, to elucidate their finer-scale biogeography and to test boundaries between closely related taxa. Location Indo-Australian region, with a focus on Wallacea. Methods Sequence data from 131 taxa, representing all recognized species groups and more than half of the known species of Delias, were used in the analysis. Phylogenetic analyses based on molecular characters of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and nuclear genes wingless and elongation factor 1a (EF-1a) were carried out using maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference. Biogeographical reconstructions were undertaken using the parsimony-based method dispersal–vicariance analysis and the dispersal–extinction– cladogenesis model as implemented in rasp and Lagrange, respectively." Its quite a technical paper and needs a good knowledge of DNA etc to be fully understood. But I'm sure some of our Delias enthusiasts will find it fascinating. www.molecularecology.flinders.edu.au/uploads/54834/ufiles/pdf/116_delias_JB.pdfBy the way after seeing Mr Nomads pics of D roepkei I searched through my old stock (I used to be an insect trader) and found I still have several papered specimens from IFTA labeled "D mira, Kerowagi". David Hall Australia |
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Post by wollastoni on Jul 4, 2013 6:04:29 GMT -8
Yes there are many active Delias collectors here, including some with very impressive collections.
About Delias mira roepkei, it has been raised as a full species by van Mastrigt when they discover the ssp. cieko in W. Papua, very far from Kerowagi.
Many other specialists think both cieko and roepkei are ssp of Delias mira.
One argument for the full species status was that among specimens labelled "Kerowagi", we can find both Delias roepkei roepkei and Delias mira excelsa. But "Kerowagi" is often used on labels by local collectors for specimens from the whole region...
From what I have seen from "serious" material, all roepkei come from Kerowagi area, and all excelsa (much rarer in collection) come from Wau area. So for me, both populations are not sympatric and could be 2 different ssp.
Some other Delias collectors will think differently.
David, be careful with your Delias from the IFTA, they were very often badly identified. Let's say that 99% of their "Delias (mira) excelsa" are indeed "Delias (mira) roepkei". They contributed a lot to this whole mess.
The Wau Institute was the supplier of real "excelsa".
True that the work of Chris Muller on Delias is truly fantastic !
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Post by nomad on Jul 4, 2013 8:43:45 GMT -8
David, fascinating paper by Chris Muller. Olivier, interesting information on D. roepkei. I had a marvellous day today visiting the collections at the Hope Department of Entomology at Oxford. I enjoyed seeing the Delias collection and was surprised to find many specimens that were collected by A.S. Meek and A.E. Pratt and sons. I have been given permission to go back to view and catalogue the Delias collection. I very much look forward to my next visit and would like to thank James Hogan for his time and help. Here is a specimen of one of the rarest of the New Guinea Delias collected by A.S. Meek held at Hope. I believe this Delias species is unlike any other and when I saw it today  I was amazed. Just wonderful. Delias bornemanni [Ribbe 1900] with original data.  |
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Post by wollastoni on Jul 4, 2013 10:23:22 GMT -8
Yes bornemanni is very rare in collection.
A wonderful species indeed !
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Post by nomad on Jul 4, 2013 20:50:20 GMT -8
I do wish that I had bornemanni in my collection, I was surprised to see one at Hope. Some lovely rarities shown from Olivier's very extensive collection hopefully we will see more. Nice to see that Lepidofrance has his self caught Delias from New Guinea. What I was would like to know, are there many others that specialist in Delias here, it would be nice to see their Delias rarities from New Guinea and its Islands.
Regards Peter.
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Post by nomad on Jul 5, 2013 8:16:21 GMT -8
A. S. Meek specimen of Delias weiskei [Ribbe 1900] captured in 1903 high in the Owen Stanley Range of Papua. A very beautiful species.  |
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Post by wollastoni on Jul 5, 2013 8:19:35 GMT -8
Very nice historic specimen Peter, thank you for posting.
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Post by wollastoni on Jul 5, 2013 8:51:52 GMT -8
bornemanni female from MNHN. 
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Post by nomad on Jul 5, 2013 10:15:46 GMT -8
Wow, a female D. bornemanni, a superb specimen of that rare species. Thanks for posting that image Olivier.
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Post by highlander on Jul 6, 2013 7:13:09 GMT -8
Female of D. callista callista collected by Meek more than 100 years ago, now in the NHM London. Chris  |
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Post by lepidofrance on Jul 6, 2013 8:09:21 GMT -8
These Delias are not historic, only the rank and file of the Delias genus ! My Delias boxes suffered from moisture! Butterflies crouched on themselves ... It will take me, whenever I have time, to wet again butterflies and spread them a new time Attachment Deleted |
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Post by nomad on Jul 6, 2013 8:20:47 GMT -8
Hi Chris, welcome to the forum. Thank you for posting your lovely image of the historic D. callista A.S. Meek specimen. I believe one of several species that Meek discovered on Mount Goliath when he joined the Dutch Eilanden River expedition during 1911.
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Post by nomad on Jul 6, 2013 8:26:58 GMT -8
lepidofrance, nice range of lovely Delias species that you captured in the Arfak Mountains.
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Post by nomad on Jul 6, 2013 23:11:47 GMT -8
Charles Pratt discovered Delias castaneus [Kenrick 1909] high in the Arfak Mountains of Western New Guinea at Warmasin during 1908. This is one of his original series of specimens that he captured. [OUNHM collection] Attachment Deleted |
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I was amazed. Just wonderful.
