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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2014 10:30:17 GMT -8
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Post by nomad on Jul 14, 2014 11:28:41 GMT -8
A very nice pair of specimens of this hard to obtain and lovely Papilionidae.  |
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Post by nomad on Jul 14, 2014 12:22:18 GMT -8
I enjoy a bit of google research. It seems this species was named by Friedrich Wilhelm Niepelt ( 1862-1936 ) from a female specimen in honour of his fellow German taxonomist, Gustav Weymeri ( 1833- 1914) However, I am not sure Gustav was the original collector. The male I believe was found by A.S. Meek on his expedition to the Admiralty Islands, a short while later.
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Post by mikelock34 on Jul 14, 2014 15:35:56 GMT -8
This is one of my favorite butterflies to collect in the wild. It is fun to watch them flying through the brush. They are very common and fly slowly, but like to fly in somewhat dense brush. Hard to swing a net to catch them without damage to the specimens. Great experience to see the females flying slowly along with males flying in to try and mate with them.
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Post by krupten on Jul 14, 2014 17:40:31 GMT -8
Have a look on the Micromelum in the area - and larvae should be present or the ova - wonderful larvae Cheers
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Post by nomad on Jul 14, 2014 22:34:23 GMT -8
Mike, interesting observations on this species, I supposed it was uncommon, untill your information. How comes you were collecting in the far off Admiralty Islands |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2014 22:59:33 GMT -8
I suppose like a lot of "rare" species it is simply a matter of right time and place and is abundant in the right locality, I know there are a few species that are generally rare but this falls into the category of hardly ever for sale rather than rare.
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Post by mikelock34 on Jul 15, 2014 2:10:34 GMT -8
Ova, larvae, pupae and adults were common all at the same time. The host plant is abundant. While crouching over to duck through the brush, you can easily see the pupae and the females are floating around laying as you catch them.
I love to go and collect anywhere in the world. Much fun to see the bugs alive and doing their thing and to meet the people and eat the food and see the places.
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Post by nomad on Jul 15, 2014 3:47:00 GMT -8
That's all interesting. You are very lucky to be able to travel to these remote places. I guess you were able to secure a really fine series of specimens of Papilio weymeri. Did you encounter O. priamus admiralitatis and what is its status there ? Any photos from your trip to these islands.
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Post by exoticimports on Jul 15, 2014 9:43:05 GMT -8
The similar species in Solomon Islands have "flyways" or "paths" that they follow. They can be a bugger to catch, but if you can identify one of these paths and stand there you can grab them as they fly by. I wonder if weymeri acts likewise?
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Post by Adam Cotton on Jul 15, 2014 9:45:08 GMT -8
Mike,
Which time of year were you there? It would be terrible to go all that way and find that it was the wrong season for the butterflies. Many tropical Papilio species are multibrooded and even continuously brooded as you describe for weymeri, but they still often have certain times of the year when they all just STOP and don't emerge for a few weeks.
By the way, there is a problem with the name Papilio weymeri, as actually Papilio cartereti Oberthür was published at least a month before weymeri, and so cartereti should be the correct name for this species.
Adam.
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Post by mikelock34 on Jul 15, 2014 13:18:26 GMT -8
Adam,
I am currently away from home. I will have to look up the correct month. I believe it was in June, July or August. The best collecting place was near the old air field on Los Negros Island. There were specimens flying in the open on the edge of the brush, but those were much harder to catch.
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Post by mikelock34 on Jul 15, 2014 13:20:46 GMT -8
I usually never carry a camera with me, but I do have a few photos of collecting there. I will have to try and find those when I get home. The priamus were also flying when I was collecting there. The man who supplied all of the Manus and Los Negros insects to IFTA showed us around and cut some paths in the forest for us to use to catch specimens more easily on his land.
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Post by mikelock34 on Jul 16, 2014 16:02:40 GMT -8
The similar species in Solomon Islands have "flyways" or "paths" that they follow. They can be a bugger to catch, but if you can identify one of these paths and stand there you can grab them as they fly by. I wonder if weymeri acts likewise? Graphium celadon in Cuba is as you mention. They are very common in certain areas. They fly like all hell and are hard to net unless you find one of their flyways. I have seen several dozen an hour flying by all on the same line in the same direction. They are still flying like all hell, but you can catch many more when they are flying in a straight line. |
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Post by Adam Cotton on Jul 16, 2014 20:58:01 GMT -8
I found Papilio paris doing the same on a mountain path here many years ago. Put a dead specimen on the ground with wings open and the butterflies flying along the road will stop and investigate briefly. There is a much better chance of doing less damage catching them just when they stop to examine the dead specimen than swiping at them in mid flight.
Adam.
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