Magellan birdwing | |
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Male T. m. sonani | |
Dorsal view | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Papilionidae |
Genus: | Troides |
Species: | T. magellanus |
Binomial name | |
Troides magellanus (Felder, 1862) | |
Distribution map for Troides magellanus (orange) and Troides aeacus (red) |
Troides magellanus, the Magellan birdwing, is a large and striking species of birdwing butterfly found in the Philippines and on Taiwan's Orchid Island.
This butterfly is named for the explorer Ferdinand Magellan who was killed in the Philippines in 1521.
Male: The forewings are ground colour black. The veins are bordered by white. The underside of the forewings is very similar to the upperside, but some veins are bordered by yellow. The hindwings are golden yellow. The veins and the marginal edge of the hindwing are black. The golden area has an opal, green or blue colour at a certain angle. The underside of the hindwing is very similar to the upperside and also has the optical effect.
The body (abdomen) is yellowish, but the underside is yellow. Head and thorax are black.
Female: is sexually dimorphic. The female is larger than the male. The ground colour of the female is dark brown to black. The veins are bordered by white colour shading. There is a golden area with dark veins on the hindwings. At the edge there is a postdiscal chain of golden spots. The underside is very similar to the upperside.
T. magellanus shows a blue-green sheen if viewed from an oblique angle. Troides magellanus and the much rarer T. prattorum , are noted for their use of limited-view iridescence: the yellow of the dorsal hindwings is modified by bright blue-green iridescence which is only seen when the butterfly is viewed at a narrow, oblique angle. This "grazing iridescence" is brought about through diffraction of light (after back reflection) by the wings' extremely steeply set, multilayered rib-like scales (rather than the ridge-lamellae of most other iridescent butterflies, such as Morpho species). Such limited-view iridescence was previously only known from one other species, the lycaenid Ancyluris meliboeus . In A. meliboeus, however, the iridescence is produced by ridge-lamellar scales and features a wider range of colours.
Philippines Batan Island, Babuyan Island, Luzon, Polillo, Marinduque, Cuyo Island, Samar, Cebu, Leyte, Bohol and Mindanao.
Taiwan Orchid Island only.
Larvae feed on species of Aristolochia - A. acuminata , A. debilis , A. kankauensis , A. tagala and A. zollingeriana
Forma
Troides magellanus is a member of the Troides aecus species group. The members of this clade are:
Birdwings are butterflies in the swallowtail family, that belong to the genera Trogonoptera, Troides, and Ornithoptera. Most recent authorities recognise 36 species, however, this is debated, and some authorities include additional genera. Birdwings are named for their exceptional size, angular wings, and birdlike flight. They are found across tropical Asia, mainland and archipelagic Southeast Asia, and Australasia.
Troides is a genus of birdwing butterflies, comprising species found in the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, and Oceania.
Ornithoptera goliath, the Goliath birdwing, is a birdwing butterfly found in New Guinea. It is the second largest butterfly in the world, after the Queen Alexandra's birdwing.
Troides minos, the southern birdwing, also called Sahyadri birdwing, is a large and striking species of swallowtail butterfly. It is endemic to southern India. With a wingspan of 140–190 mm, it is the second largest butterfly of India. It is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List.
Troides aeacus, the golden birdwing, is a large tropical butterfly belonging to the swallowtail family, Papilionidae.
Troides helena, the common birdwing, is a butterfly belonging to the family Papilionidae. It is often found in the wildlife trade due to its popularity with butterfly collectors. The butterfly has seventeen subspecies.
Ornithoptera paradisea, the paradise birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly found in New Guinea.
Troides vandepolli, the van de Poll's birdwing, is a montane birdwing butterfly occurring on Java and Sumatra. It is endemic for Indonesia and is protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Troides dohertyi, the Talaud black birdwing, is a birdwing butterfly endemic to the Talaud and Sangihe islands.
Troides rhadamantus, the tropical golden birdwing, is a birdwing butterfly that inhabits the Philippines. The species was first described by Hippolyte Lucas in 1835. There are many subspecies on islands of the Philippines and some authors consider Troides plateni and Troides dohertyi as subspecies of T. rhadamantus.
Troides haliphron, the haliphron birdwing, is a birdwing butterfly confined to Sulawesi and the lesser Sunda Islands.
Ornithoptera victoriae, the Queen Victoria's birdwing, is a birdwing butterfly of the family Papilionidae, found in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
Ornithoptera croesus, the Wallace's golden birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly found in northern Maluku in Indonesia.
Troides hypolitus, the Rippon's birdwing, is a birdwing butterfly endemic to the Moluccas and Sulawesi. It is not significantly threatened, but it is protected.
Troides darsius, the Sri Lankan birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly found in Sri Lanka. It is the largest butterfly on the island and is also the national butterfly of Sri Lanka.
Troides andromache, the Borneo birdwing or Kinabalu Birdwing, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found only in Borneo. In 2023, it was selected as the official state butterfly of the state of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.
Troides prattorum, the Buru Opalescent Birdwing, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is endemic to Buru in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia.
Troides criton, the Criton birdwing, is a birdwing butterfly found on the islands of Morotai, Halmahera, Bali, Bacan, Ternate and Obi in Indonesia.
Troides cuneifera, the Mountain Birdwing, is a large butterfly belonging to the swallowtail family, Papilionidae, found in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java and Borneo.
Troides amphrysus, the Malay birdwing, is a birdwing butterfly in the genus Troides in the family Papilionidae.