Post by nomad on Oct 16, 2013 1:01:45 GMT -8
The Lambertus Toxopeus Delias butterflies of New Guinea.
Richard Archbold [ 1907- 1976 ] was a very wealthy American Zooloogist being the grandson of an oil magnet. Encouraged by the brilliant biologist Ernst Mayr, he organized and led several expeditions to New Guinea. The most important expedition for butterfly/Delias discoveries was the 1938/1939 Archbold expedition to the central Ranges of West New Guinea. The exploration of New Guinea had now been taken a stage further than the earlier collecting expeditions. To reach the remote areas of the Central Ranges Archbold would use a giant Catalina flying-boat, the Guba. During a reconnaissance flight, the huge Grand or Baliem valley was discovered with its dense population. For his expedition Archbold had a large Dutch Miltilary contingent and would use Dyak tribesmen. He had an expert team of Dutch and American scientists. Archbold engaged the distinguished Entomologist Dr Lambertus Johannes Toxopeus [ 1894-1951] and he had an assistant Mr. J. Olthof who would also collect and prepare the insect collections. Toxopeus was born in Java and attended the University of Amsterdam, later returning to Java as a teacher becoming a professor at Bandoeng in 1949. Toxopeus was an acknowledged expert in Indonesian Lycaenidae and Hesperiidae. A very tall man, Toxopeus was a gifted and perceptive researcher. During World War Two he was interned in a concentration camp.
Richard Archbold.
Lambertus Johannes Toxopeus. Arriving at Lake Habbema with his collecting gear.
Walter Karl Johann Roepke.
The stage was set, the advance expedition party arrived in Hollandia [ Jayapura ] on the north coast of New Guinea in April 1938 and the last party would leave just over a year later in May 1939. In Late June the giant Guba landed on Lagoons near the Idenburg [ Taritatu ] River and set up the Bernard base camp. In July the Guba landed on the high altitude Lake Habbema to the north and set up another Base camp. The expedition would explore the area between the two base camps and the Wilhelmina Top lying to the south of Lake Habbema. It seems little collecting was achieved in the then unexplored main Baliem vally, probably due to the uncertain nature of inhabitants and the location of the expedition camp. Also included here are those Delias discovered by a small 1939 Dutch Scientific expedition to the Wissel [ Paniai] Lakes.
Back in Java, Toxopeus started a manuscript on the new Delias he had collected on the Third Archbold expedition. The work on the manuscript was resumed after the War but in 1951 Toxopeus was tragically killed in a car accident in Java at Bandung in 1951. Walter Karl Roepke 1882-1961] born in Poland of German parents finished the Toxopeus manuscript. Roepke published a full account of the new Delias captured during the Archbold expedition in 1955 [ The Butterflies of the Genus Delias Huber [ Lepidoptera] in Netherlands New Guinea. Nova Guinea vol 6 [ 185-260, 4 plates].
Most of scientific names were those of Toxopeus, those marked with asterisk are those of Roepke.
Below is a list with notes on the new Delias species and subspecies captured at the various camps starting with Araucaria camp at 850 meters and ending with Lake Habbema where the the higest altitude a Delias species was recorded was at 3300 meters. . The two higher camps high up on Mount Wilhelmina produced no Delias species. All the camps mentioned can be located on the excellent map shown below.
Map of the collecting camps during the Third Archbold expedition.
Araucaria camp 850 meters. March-April 1939. 4 kilometers southwest of Bernard [ Base] camp on the Idenburg River.
This camp was set up by the Araucaria creek, a small tributary of the Sahoweri River. The Araucaria camp was in a pristine uninhabited valley, undisturbed by man. Two new Delias species and three subspecies were described from here .
Delias sphenodiscus. This is rare distinctive species with a very limited distribution and belongs at present to the geraldina group.
Delias Parennia. [isse group] probably only a form of D. ennia.
Delias geraldina siderea. A frequent species but like most Papuan delias, the females are rarely encounterd.
Delias kummeri fumosa.
Delias discus apodiscus. A distinctive subspecies with the hindwing spots missing on this beautiful species.
Rattan camp 1200 meters .Feb-March 1939. Six Kilo southwest of Bernard base camp
This camp was situated on a steep slope at the head of the Araucaria creek. Two new subspecies of Delias was taken here and one of these is now regarded as a distinct species.
Delias cyclosticha. Orginally thought to be a subspecies of D. lecerfi by Toxopeus and published as such by Roepke.
Delias nais holophaea.
Sigi camp 1500 meters. February 1939. Six kil southwest of Bernard Base camp.
A small camp set up by the sigi creek, a small tributary of the Sahoweri River, primary for insect collecting. Among the 53 species of butterfly collected here were two new Delias subspecies.
Delias hypomelas fulgida. Most subspecies of hypomelas are now considered to be synonymous with the nominate race.
ligata interpolata 1450-1500 meters.
Mist camps 1800 meters. January 1939. 15 kil Southwest of Bernard Base camp.
Butterflies were very scarce here but despite this two new Delias subspecies was captured. However the moths were numerous especially the Noctuidae with up to 80 species recorded on warm foggy nights.
Delias alepa orthobasis.
Delias campbelli microleuca. 1450-1600 meters.
Moss Forest camp 2800 meters. October-November 1939. 9 Km north-east of Lake Habbema.
A very productive collecting camp which was high up in montane forest at the head of the Ibele River valley Where a number of rare Delias were captured. Lambertus Toxopeus did all of the collecting in the Ibele Valley.
*Delias flavistriga. Orginally thought by Roepke to be a subspecies of the uncommon D. mesoblema.
Delias luctuosa archboldi 2700-2800 meters. This beautiful delias species named by Toxopeus is a fitting tribute to the leader of the expedition Richard Archbold.
Delias antara. 2700 meters. Orginally described by Toxopeus as a subspecies of D. eichhorni.
Delias germana. Again orginally described as a subspecies of D. eichhorni.
Delias autumnalis 2800 meters. Another lovely Delias of the Clathrata group. Orginally thought to be a subspecies of Delias mira.
Delias wollastoni bryophila . 2700-2800 meters. Most authors regard this subspecies as synonymous with the nominate race. This wonderful Delias remains a race butterfly.
Delias Klossi chrysanthemum. 2600-3000 meters. Another striking and uncommon species.
Delias fascelis ibelana. 2600-2700 meters. Orginally described as a subspecies of D. cuningputi.
Delias fascelis ibelana.
Delias luctuosa archboldi
Ibele camp 2220 meters. November to December 1938. 18km north-east of Lake Habbema.
Located lower down the Ibele river, a tributary of the Baliem river in the narrow inhabited limestone and sandstone Ibele valley. As with the higher Ibele Moss Forest camp, another rich Delias collecting locality. Several species that were captured in the higher camp were again located here.
Delias walshae. 2250 meters. A rare species of the Clathrata group. Orginally described as a subspecies of D. Mariae. Recongnized as distinct species by Yagi###a in 1993.
Delias rosamontana 2200-2300 meters. A pretty little species of the Weiskei group. Well named with its hindwing white central areas tinged with pink. A very nice species.
*Delias toxopei 2250 meters. Named in honour of Toxopeus by Walter Roepke.
* Delias zebra 2200-2300 meters. According to Mastright and Davenport [ 2011] this very striking butterfly is a form of Delias nais.
Delias argentata. Recently suggested to be a form of D. hyomelas.
Delias hypomelas lieftincki.
Delias catisa aurostriga. 2250 meters. A member of the eichhorni group.
Delias callista calliparela. A beautiful species of the Iltis group.
Delias hapalina amoena 2250 meters. A species of the weiskei group.
*Delias meeki hypochrysis. recorded from several localities in the Baliem area.
Delias fascelis ibelana.
Delias germana.
Delias autumnalis.
Delias rosamontana
Delias zebra zebra - form of nais?
Delias meeki hypochrysis
Baliem Valley camp 1700 meters. December 1938.
The expedition manuscript mentions this camp was placed in the most sterile region of the valley and further up where virgin forest remained would have been a far richer collecting site. It is notable that even when the Archbold expedition passed through the valley, the entire northern slopes were deforested by the large human population. A two new Delias subspecies were recorded here.
*Delias meeki hypozantha. up to 2800 meters.
Delias aroae balimensis. Now thought to be a geographical variation of the nominate aroae.
Lake Habbema 3000 meters July to September 1938.
Two high altitude Delias species were recorded from here.
Delias carstensziana alcicornis. 3300 meters. A very high altitude delias species. alcicornis is probably a geographical race of the nominate.
Delias leucobalia ericetorum. Another uncommon species.
Delias carstensziana alcicornis. A lovely high altitude species.
Wissel [ Paniai] Lakes June to November 1939. KNAG expedition
It has been wrongly supposed elsewhere that the new Delias captured at this locality were discovered during the Third Archbold expedition. However in the summary expedition report there was no mention of a visit to the Wissel lakes which were first seen from the air by Frits Wissel in 1936. The new Delias here were in fact discovered by a small expedition of the Royal Netherlands Geographic Society [KNAG] . A small party of scientists led by Charles Le Roux with a detachment of marines and convicts made the very arduous journey overland through thick jungle to reach the newly discovered Wissel Lakes, where they set up base camp at Enarotali. The Delias on this expedition were almost certainly captured by the Zoologist H. Boschma because Toxopeus named a subspecies of the rare D. mariae in his honour. The following Delias were published along with those of the Third Archbold expedition by Walter Roepke in 1955.
Delias hiemalis . A rare species of the Clathrata group. Originally described as a subspecies of Delias mira
Delias abrophora. A beautiful little species of the Geraldina group.
Delias arabuana. Orginally described as a subspecies of D. mesoblema.
Delias geraldina vaneechoudi
*Delias catisa wisseliana
Delias mariae boschmai. Another rare species of the Clathrata group. Named by Toxopeus in honour of H. Boschma.
Delias germana heliophora. Orginally described as a subspecies of D. eichhorni
*Delias toxopei morosa 1800 meters.
Delias hapalina adnexa.
Delias phippsi wisseli. A small species of the Weiskei group.
Delias strix [ Yagi###a 1993] Orginally described by Roepke as* D. paniaia but invalid due to D. fascelis paniaia.
The Third Archibold expedition 1938/1939 was a monumental scientific expedition and the Delias butterflies are only a small but very important part of the wealth of new discoveries made by the expedition.
Much more information and photographs on the various expedition campes and routes with excellent photographs can be found in The Summary of the 1938-1939 Richard Archbold Expedition, Bulletin of the AMNH at this link
Also for additional photographs of the expedition see The Arnold Arboretum of Harvald University: Leonard John Brass. At this link
Richard Archbold [ 1907- 1976 ] was a very wealthy American Zooloogist being the grandson of an oil magnet. Encouraged by the brilliant biologist Ernst Mayr, he organized and led several expeditions to New Guinea. The most important expedition for butterfly/Delias discoveries was the 1938/1939 Archbold expedition to the central Ranges of West New Guinea. The exploration of New Guinea had now been taken a stage further than the earlier collecting expeditions. To reach the remote areas of the Central Ranges Archbold would use a giant Catalina flying-boat, the Guba. During a reconnaissance flight, the huge Grand or Baliem valley was discovered with its dense population. For his expedition Archbold had a large Dutch Miltilary contingent and would use Dyak tribesmen. He had an expert team of Dutch and American scientists. Archbold engaged the distinguished Entomologist Dr Lambertus Johannes Toxopeus [ 1894-1951] and he had an assistant Mr. J. Olthof who would also collect and prepare the insect collections. Toxopeus was born in Java and attended the University of Amsterdam, later returning to Java as a teacher becoming a professor at Bandoeng in 1949. Toxopeus was an acknowledged expert in Indonesian Lycaenidae and Hesperiidae. A very tall man, Toxopeus was a gifted and perceptive researcher. During World War Two he was interned in a concentration camp.
Richard Archbold.
Lambertus Johannes Toxopeus. Arriving at Lake Habbema with his collecting gear.
Walter Karl Johann Roepke.
The stage was set, the advance expedition party arrived in Hollandia [ Jayapura ] on the north coast of New Guinea in April 1938 and the last party would leave just over a year later in May 1939. In Late June the giant Guba landed on Lagoons near the Idenburg [ Taritatu ] River and set up the Bernard base camp. In July the Guba landed on the high altitude Lake Habbema to the north and set up another Base camp. The expedition would explore the area between the two base camps and the Wilhelmina Top lying to the south of Lake Habbema. It seems little collecting was achieved in the then unexplored main Baliem vally, probably due to the uncertain nature of inhabitants and the location of the expedition camp. Also included here are those Delias discovered by a small 1939 Dutch Scientific expedition to the Wissel [ Paniai] Lakes.
Back in Java, Toxopeus started a manuscript on the new Delias he had collected on the Third Archbold expedition. The work on the manuscript was resumed after the War but in 1951 Toxopeus was tragically killed in a car accident in Java at Bandung in 1951. Walter Karl Roepke 1882-1961] born in Poland of German parents finished the Toxopeus manuscript. Roepke published a full account of the new Delias captured during the Archbold expedition in 1955 [ The Butterflies of the Genus Delias Huber [ Lepidoptera] in Netherlands New Guinea. Nova Guinea vol 6 [ 185-260, 4 plates].
Most of scientific names were those of Toxopeus, those marked with asterisk are those of Roepke.
Below is a list with notes on the new Delias species and subspecies captured at the various camps starting with Araucaria camp at 850 meters and ending with Lake Habbema where the the higest altitude a Delias species was recorded was at 3300 meters. . The two higher camps high up on Mount Wilhelmina produced no Delias species. All the camps mentioned can be located on the excellent map shown below.
Map of the collecting camps during the Third Archbold expedition.
Araucaria camp 850 meters. March-April 1939. 4 kilometers southwest of Bernard [ Base] camp on the Idenburg River.
This camp was set up by the Araucaria creek, a small tributary of the Sahoweri River. The Araucaria camp was in a pristine uninhabited valley, undisturbed by man. Two new Delias species and three subspecies were described from here .
Delias sphenodiscus. This is rare distinctive species with a very limited distribution and belongs at present to the geraldina group.
Delias Parennia. [isse group] probably only a form of D. ennia.
Delias geraldina siderea. A frequent species but like most Papuan delias, the females are rarely encounterd.
Delias kummeri fumosa.
Delias discus apodiscus. A distinctive subspecies with the hindwing spots missing on this beautiful species.
Rattan camp 1200 meters .Feb-March 1939. Six Kilo southwest of Bernard base camp
This camp was situated on a steep slope at the head of the Araucaria creek. Two new subspecies of Delias was taken here and one of these is now regarded as a distinct species.
Delias cyclosticha. Orginally thought to be a subspecies of D. lecerfi by Toxopeus and published as such by Roepke.
Delias nais holophaea.
Sigi camp 1500 meters. February 1939. Six kil southwest of Bernard Base camp.
A small camp set up by the sigi creek, a small tributary of the Sahoweri River, primary for insect collecting. Among the 53 species of butterfly collected here were two new Delias subspecies.
Delias hypomelas fulgida. Most subspecies of hypomelas are now considered to be synonymous with the nominate race.
ligata interpolata 1450-1500 meters.
Mist camps 1800 meters. January 1939. 15 kil Southwest of Bernard Base camp.
Butterflies were very scarce here but despite this two new Delias subspecies was captured. However the moths were numerous especially the Noctuidae with up to 80 species recorded on warm foggy nights.
Delias alepa orthobasis.
Delias campbelli microleuca. 1450-1600 meters.
Moss Forest camp 2800 meters. October-November 1939. 9 Km north-east of Lake Habbema.
A very productive collecting camp which was high up in montane forest at the head of the Ibele River valley Where a number of rare Delias were captured. Lambertus Toxopeus did all of the collecting in the Ibele Valley.
*Delias flavistriga. Orginally thought by Roepke to be a subspecies of the uncommon D. mesoblema.
Delias luctuosa archboldi 2700-2800 meters. This beautiful delias species named by Toxopeus is a fitting tribute to the leader of the expedition Richard Archbold.
Delias antara. 2700 meters. Orginally described by Toxopeus as a subspecies of D. eichhorni.
Delias germana. Again orginally described as a subspecies of D. eichhorni.
Delias autumnalis 2800 meters. Another lovely Delias of the Clathrata group. Orginally thought to be a subspecies of Delias mira.
Delias wollastoni bryophila . 2700-2800 meters. Most authors regard this subspecies as synonymous with the nominate race. This wonderful Delias remains a race butterfly.
Delias Klossi chrysanthemum. 2600-3000 meters. Another striking and uncommon species.
Delias fascelis ibelana. 2600-2700 meters. Orginally described as a subspecies of D. cuningputi.
Delias fascelis ibelana.
Delias luctuosa archboldi
Ibele camp 2220 meters. November to December 1938. 18km north-east of Lake Habbema.
Located lower down the Ibele river, a tributary of the Baliem river in the narrow inhabited limestone and sandstone Ibele valley. As with the higher Ibele Moss Forest camp, another rich Delias collecting locality. Several species that were captured in the higher camp were again located here.
Delias walshae. 2250 meters. A rare species of the Clathrata group. Orginally described as a subspecies of D. Mariae. Recongnized as distinct species by Yagi###a in 1993.
Delias rosamontana 2200-2300 meters. A pretty little species of the Weiskei group. Well named with its hindwing white central areas tinged with pink. A very nice species.
*Delias toxopei 2250 meters. Named in honour of Toxopeus by Walter Roepke.
* Delias zebra 2200-2300 meters. According to Mastright and Davenport [ 2011] this very striking butterfly is a form of Delias nais.
Delias argentata. Recently suggested to be a form of D. hyomelas.
Delias hypomelas lieftincki.
Delias catisa aurostriga. 2250 meters. A member of the eichhorni group.
Delias callista calliparela. A beautiful species of the Iltis group.
Delias hapalina amoena 2250 meters. A species of the weiskei group.
*Delias meeki hypochrysis. recorded from several localities in the Baliem area.
Delias fascelis ibelana.
Delias germana.
Delias autumnalis.
Delias rosamontana
Delias zebra zebra - form of nais?
Delias meeki hypochrysis
Baliem Valley camp 1700 meters. December 1938.
The expedition manuscript mentions this camp was placed in the most sterile region of the valley and further up where virgin forest remained would have been a far richer collecting site. It is notable that even when the Archbold expedition passed through the valley, the entire northern slopes were deforested by the large human population. A two new Delias subspecies were recorded here.
*Delias meeki hypozantha. up to 2800 meters.
Delias aroae balimensis. Now thought to be a geographical variation of the nominate aroae.
Lake Habbema 3000 meters July to September 1938.
Two high altitude Delias species were recorded from here.
Delias carstensziana alcicornis. 3300 meters. A very high altitude delias species. alcicornis is probably a geographical race of the nominate.
Delias leucobalia ericetorum. Another uncommon species.
Delias carstensziana alcicornis. A lovely high altitude species.
Wissel [ Paniai] Lakes June to November 1939. KNAG expedition
It has been wrongly supposed elsewhere that the new Delias captured at this locality were discovered during the Third Archbold expedition. However in the summary expedition report there was no mention of a visit to the Wissel lakes which were first seen from the air by Frits Wissel in 1936. The new Delias here were in fact discovered by a small expedition of the Royal Netherlands Geographic Society [KNAG] . A small party of scientists led by Charles Le Roux with a detachment of marines and convicts made the very arduous journey overland through thick jungle to reach the newly discovered Wissel Lakes, where they set up base camp at Enarotali. The Delias on this expedition were almost certainly captured by the Zoologist H. Boschma because Toxopeus named a subspecies of the rare D. mariae in his honour. The following Delias were published along with those of the Third Archbold expedition by Walter Roepke in 1955.
Delias hiemalis . A rare species of the Clathrata group. Originally described as a subspecies of Delias mira
Delias abrophora. A beautiful little species of the Geraldina group.
Delias arabuana. Orginally described as a subspecies of D. mesoblema.
Delias geraldina vaneechoudi
*Delias catisa wisseliana
Delias mariae boschmai. Another rare species of the Clathrata group. Named by Toxopeus in honour of H. Boschma.
Delias germana heliophora. Orginally described as a subspecies of D. eichhorni
*Delias toxopei morosa 1800 meters.
Delias hapalina adnexa.
Delias phippsi wisseli. A small species of the Weiskei group.
Delias strix [ Yagi###a 1993] Orginally described by Roepke as* D. paniaia but invalid due to D. fascelis paniaia.
The Third Archibold expedition 1938/1939 was a monumental scientific expedition and the Delias butterflies are only a small but very important part of the wealth of new discoveries made by the expedition.
Much more information and photographs on the various expedition campes and routes with excellent photographs can be found in The Summary of the 1938-1939 Richard Archbold Expedition, Bulletin of the AMNH at this link
Also for additional photographs of the expedition see The Arnold Arboretum of Harvald University: Leonard John Brass. At this link
