|
|
Post by takahe on May 4, 2015 3:20:28 GMT -8
This is said to be Eurytides marchandi panamensis. Some books say panamensis is a separate species, and marchandi is a subspecies of thyastes. Others list thyastes and marchandi as distinct species. This is certainly one of the three, but which one? This is from Costa Rica, and marchandi is supposedly only in a certain region of Mexico. For that reason it seems unlikely to be marchandi since it would be both illegal and very expensive. This specimen was not so high priced. Bradleigh  |
|
|
|
Post by jshuey on May 4, 2015 6:24:45 GMT -8
The species is thyastes – which as a series of weakly differentiated subspecies that replace each other geographically.
Neographium thyastes panamensis (Oberthür, 1879)
As an aside – this is a species I’ve never collected – but I once was on top of the mayan pyramid at Xunantunich in Belize. Looking down, I could see a few males chasing each other over the forest canopy. They were “very fast” as the zoomed over the tree tops – looking like bright yellow triangles in flight. I looked long and hard at sand bars on the river below for puddling males, but with no luck.
john
|
|
|
|
Post by Adam Cotton on May 6, 2015 4:56:12 GMT -8
While I agree with John's first sentence, the thyastes group does not actually belong in Neographium, it is currently placed in subgenus Eurygraphium of genus Eurytides. I do not think that Neographium is worthy of any more than subgeneric status within Eurytides, along with various other groups that have been split as separate genera, such as Protesilaus and Mimoides. In reality Eurygraphium is probably not even worthy of subgeneric status, it is just a small group within subgenus Eurytides. Note also that Eurytides marcellus is not closely related to the Australian Protographium leosthenes and certainly does not belong in genus Protographium.
The New World Leptocircini (not 'Graphiini' - ICZN Code Article 40.1 is very clear on this issue) all form a single monophyletic group of related species, and in reality splitting genera up only disguises their inherent relationship for those non-experts who go on to actually use the names in their non-taxonomic studies (ecology, behaviour, biodiversity etc). Mimicry has arisen several times within the Leptocircini, in Africa, Asia and S America, and the Asian mimetic macareus group (sometimes called Paranticopsis) actually arose within the Asian kite swallowtail group Pathysa, a subgenus of Graphium. Similarly the Neotropical Mimoides is a mimetic group within genus Eurytides.
Adam.
|
|
|
|
Post by takahe on May 6, 2015 23:58:09 GMT -8
Thanks for all the information. The species in these genera certainly can be confusing. How do we differentiate between the very similar subspecies of thyastes? I think I remember reading something once about the red crescent on the hindwing. In any case, it's a very attractive species, and even if this one is not one of the very rare subspecies it is similar enough to satisfy me at least for now. It looks a great deal like the marchandi a poster here offered to sell me several years back.
Bradleigh
|
|
|
|
Post by Adam Cotton on May 7, 2015 8:13:25 GMT -8
Eurytides thyastes has the following subspecies:
occidentalis Guerrero, SW Mexico
marchandii E Mexico to Honduras
panamensis Nicaragua, Costa Rica to N & W Colombia, NW Ecuador
thyastinus E Andes from SE Colombia to Bolivia and Amazonian Brazil
thyastes C & SE Brazil, NE Paraguay
The first 3 subspecies are similar, and have a deeper yellow (more orange) discal band with obscured red crescent at the anal andgle of the hindwing upperside. These 3 are often separated as Eurytides marchandii. Ssp. thyastes and thyastinus have a paler yellow discal band and a distinct red crescent, and are separated from each other by the distinct break in the discal band near the tip of the forewing cell in thyastinus.
Adam.
PS. There is a similar species, Eurytides calliste, in Central America.
|
|
