Bhutanitis ludlowi

Last updated

Ludlow's Bhutan swallowtail
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Genus: Bhutanitis
Species:
B. ludlowi
Binomial name
Bhutanitis ludlowi
Gabriel, 1942

Bhutanitis ludlowi, the Ludlow's Bhutan swallowtail, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae, endemic to Bhutan and recently recorded in India. It belongs to the subfamily Parnassiinae subfamily which also contains the Apollo butterflies.

Contents

History

Until recently, Bhutanitis ludlowi was poorly known, and despite recent studies, its biology and distribution are still not entirely known. The taxon was originally known from a series of five specimens collected in Bhutan during 1933-1934 by the botanists Frank Ludlow and George Sheriff. Four of these specimens were referred to in the type description, which contained little information on the species' biology other than they were collected at an altitudinal range of 2000–2200 metres in forest.

In 1992, Chou claimed that a specimen of B. ludlowi had been collected in Yunnan and had been lodged in a Chinese collection. Although this record was questioned by subsequent authors, a later publication by Chou (2000) did not provide additional information. Although Chou (2000) illustrated a specimen, it was later determined to be a retouched photo of the type specimen in the British Museum (Natural History). As no specimen has demonstrably been collected in China, Bollino and Racheli (2012) argued that the record was a misidentification of Bhutanitis lidderdalii spinosa.

Open wing position of Bhutanitis ludlowi Gabriel, 1942 - Mystical Bhutan Glory Openwing position of Bhutanitis ludlowi Gabriel, 1942 - Mystical Bhutan Glory 3.jpg
Open wing position of Bhutanitis ludlowi Gabriel, 1942 - Mystical Bhutan Glory

In August 2009, Karma Wangdi, a Bhutanese forestry officer, [3] collected a specimen of B. ludlowi in the Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Bhutan's remote Trashiyangtse Valley. This specimen provided the first unambiguous evidence in some 75 years that the species was extant. In August 2011, some mating [IUCN] pairs of B. ludlowi were sighted and captured at Bumdelling Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan by a research team from Bhutan in collaboration with the Butterfly Society of Japan (BSJ) and NHK Japan (Bhutan government official release 2011; Kuenzang 2011). Amazingly, the expedition sighted their first B. ludlowi on August 12, the same date that Ludlow and Sheriff took the first specimen in 1933. Bhutanitis ludlowi subsequently became the national butterfly of Bhutan.

Biology

The 2011 expedition also revealed considerable biological information about B. ludlowi (Choden, 2011). Its host plant is Aristolochia griffithi, which is also utilised as a host plant by other Bhutanitis taxa. Bhutanitis ludlowi eggs are smaller than in other Bhutanitis and are laid on top of each other in a stacked pile arrangement. Video footage of live adults (external links 3 and 4) show that their flight is rapid with a deep wingbeat and frequent gliding. The forewings provide all propulsion, while the hindwings are unpowered during normal flight and trail behind the butterfly. Unlike many swallowtail butterflies, B. ludlowi does not continuously flutter its wings while feeding. Viburnum cylindricum flowers were the most commonly used adult food source.

In 2012, a photograph was taken of a live specimen of B. ludlowi in or adjacent to the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh (Padmanabhan, 2012). This record comes from an area where Bhutanitis lidderdalii lidderdalii also occurs, suggesting these taxa are sympatric, or at least nearly so (based on data from photographs of B. lidderdalii shown on the Indian Foundation for Butterflies, Butterflies of India website).

As so few specimens are known, B. ludlowi is rarely illustrated. It is similar in appearance to the allied B. lidderdalii but has broader wings with the transverse bands grey instead of white (Chou, 2000). The distribution of both B. ludlowi and B. lidderdalii may overlap in Bhutan and Yunnan, China (Chou 2000), although it is unknown whether they co-occur in the same habitat.

Status

As with all other members of the genus Bhutanitis, B. ludlowi is listed on Appendix II of CITES, restricting any international trade. As of 2011, there were no reports of the species having entered trade, but it is highly sought after by collectors. Its most recent IUCN assessment is vulnerable (Gimenez Dixon, 1996). Although collecting butterflies in Bhutan is prohibited, the BSJ is building butterfly rearing capacity with the Bhutanese government for B. ludlowi and other species. Sustainable commercial rearing of this species has potential to eliminate the need for specimens to be continually harvested from wild populations, or to at least reduce the impact of harvesting so it is negligible. As with similar butterfly ranching programs in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, sustainable harvesting may also provide wealth to remote communities with few other sources of legitimate income.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swallowtail butterfly</span> Butterflies of family Papilionidae

Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies in the family Papilionidae, and include over 550 species. Though the majority are tropical, members of the family inhabit every continent except Antarctica. The family includes the largest butterflies in the world, the birdwing butterflies of the genus Ornithoptera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parnassiinae</span> Subfamily of butterflies

The Parnassiinae or snow Apollos are a subfamily of the swallowtail butterfly family, Papilionidae. The subfamily includes about 50 medium-sized, white or yellow species. The snow Apollos are high-altitude butterflies and are distributed across Asia, Europe and North America.

<i>Bhutanitis lidderdalii</i> Species of butterfly

Bhutanitis lidderdalii, the Bhutan glory, is a species of swallowtail butterfly, which is found in Bhutan, parts of northeastern India and of Southeast Asia. A spectacular insect much sought after by collectors, the species epithet is after Dr R. Lidderdale, from whose collection the butterfly was first described by William Stephen Atkinson in 1873. Listed under CITES Appendix II, the status of the butterfly has been recorded as rare by some authorities but as being of least concern in 2019 by the Red Book of the IUCN.

Parnassius hide is a high-altitude butterfly which is found in China. It is a member of the snow Apollo genus (Parnassius) of the swallowtail family, Papilionidae. The species was first described by Satoshi Koiwaya in 1987.

<i>Bhutanitis</i> Genus of butterflies

Bhutanitis is a genus of swallowtail butterflies that contains four species.

<i>Bhutanitis thaidina</i> Species of butterfly

Bhutanitis thaidina, commonly known as the Chinese three-tailed swallowtail, is a rare species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae.

<i>Luehdorfia japonica</i> Species of butterfly

The Japanese luehdorfia is a species of butterfly in the subfamily Parnassiinae of Papilionidae. It is found only in Japan. It was discovered by Yasushi Nawa in Japan's Gifu Prefecture in 1883. It is also known as the Gifu butterfly

<i>Papilio chikae</i> Species of butterfly

Papilio chikae, the Luzon peacock swallowtail, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. It has two subspecies, with P. c. chikae from Luzon and P. c. hermeli(Nuyda, 1992) from Mindoro. The latter was originally described as a separate species, but it resembles the nominate subspecies and there are no significant differences in their genitalia, leading recent authorities to treat them as subspecies of a single species.

Parnassius baileyi, or Bailey's Apollo, is a high-altitude butterfly which is found in southwestern China. It is a member of the snow Apollo genus (Parnassius) of the swallowtail family (Papilionidae).

Parnassius labeyriei is a high-altitude butterfly which is found in China. It is a member of the snow Apollo genus Parnassius of the swallowtail family, Papilionidae.

Parnassius nosei is a high-altitude butterfly found in China. It is a member of the snow Apollo genus Parnassius of the swallowtail family, Papilionidae. The taxonomic status of this butterfly is uncertain. Some authors regard nosei as a subspecies of Parnassius maharaja.

Parnassius przewalskii is a high-altitude butterfly which is found in Tibet and west China. It is a member of the snow Apollo genus (Parnassius) of the swallowtail family (Papilionidae).

Parnassius schultei is a high-altitude butterfly which is found in Tibet and west China. It is a member of the snow Apollo genus (Parnassius) of the swallowtail family (Papilionidae).

<i>Parnassius staudingeri</i> Species of butterfly

Parnassius staudingeri is a high-altitude butterfly which is found over a vast area - Pamirs, Altay Mountains, Hindu Kush, Karakorum and west Kuen-Lun.

Parnassius andreji is a snow butterfly found in China. The species was first described by Curt Eisner in 1930.

Graphium incerta is a butterfly found in China that belongs to the swallowtail family.

<i>Eurytides dioxippus</i> Species of butterfly

Eurytides dioxippus is a species of butterfly found in the Neotropical realm.

References

  1. Fernando, E.; Jangid, A.K.; Kehimkar, I.; Kunte, K. (2020). "Bhutanitis ludlowi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T2796A170536676. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T2796A170536676.en . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. Wangdi, Tempa (11 August 2015). "Five potential butterfly subspecies found". Kuensel. Retrieved 15 November 2015.