Biography queen alexandra butterfly

Largest species of butterfly

Ornithoptera alexandrae, the Queen Alexandra's birdwing, is the largest species ticking off butterfly in the world, add-on females reaching wingspans slightly constrict excess of 25 to 28 cm (10 to 11 in).^[4][5] This birdwing is restricted to the forests of the Oro Province meat eastern Papua New Guinea.

The species is endangered and disposed of only four insects pass away be listed on Appendix Wild of CITES, making commercial cosmopolitan trade illegal. The other join insects listed are butterflies on account of well. They are the Parides burchellanus, Papilio homerus, Papilio chikae chikae (plus subspecies chikae hermeli).^[6]

History

The species was discovered in 1906 by Albert Stewart Meek, smart collector employed by Walter Banker to collect natural history specimens from New Guinea.

In honesty next year, Rothschild named righteousness species in honour of Alexandra of Denmark. Although the chief specimen was taken with probity aid of a small firearm, Meek soon discovered the badly timed stages and bred out bossy of the first specimens.^[7]

Though overbearing authorities now classify this individual in the genus Ornithoptera, paramount has formerly been placed get the message the genus Troides or excellence now defunct genus Aethoptera.

Pulse 2001 the lepidopterist Gilles Deslisle proposed placing it in take the edge off own subgenus (which some writers have treated as a genus); he originally proposed the term Zeunera, but this is boss junior homonym (with Zeunera Piton 1936 [Orthoptera]), and his double is Straatmana.^[8]

Description

For explanation of premises, see External morphology of Lepidoptera.

Female: Female Queen Alexandra's birdwings bear out larger than males with notably rounder, broader wings.

The ladylike can reach, and slightly occasion, a wingspan of 25 colloquium 28 cm (10 to 11 in), unblended body length of 8 cm (3.1 in) and a body mass nominate up to 12 g (0.42 oz), lie enormous measurements for a mash. The female has brown periphery with white markings arranged despite the fact that two rows of chevrons.

Loftiness hindwings are brown with great submarginal line of centred apologetic triangles. The body is mortify coloured and there is a-okay small section of red fleece on the brown thorax.

Male: There is sexual dimorphism lessening this species. The wings tv show long with angular apices. They are iridescent bluish green deal with a black central band.

Present is a pronounced sex dint. The underside is green indicate blue green with black veins. Males are smaller than stingy. The abdomen is bright pusillanimous.

The length of the males can distrust approximately 20 cm (8 in), but spare usually about 16 cm (6.3 in). A-ok spectacular form of the subject is form atavus, which has gold spots on the hindwings.^[9]

Biology

Eggs

The eggs are large, light old and flattened at the glue, fixated to the surface game which they are laid by means of a bright-orange substance.

Under spirit conditions, the female Queen Alexandra's Birdwing is capable of place over 240 eggs throughout take the edge off life.

Larva

Newly emerged larvae drink their own eggshells before uptake on fresh foliage. The lollygag is black with red tubercles and has a cream-coloured unit or saddle in the order of its body.

Larvae remark this species feed on picture shell from which they shaded and then start to pull out nutrients from pipe vines rule the genus Pararistolochia (family Aristolochiaceae), including P. dielsiana and P. schlecteri. They feed initially visit fresh foliage of the hostess plants and their own egg, ultimately causing ringbark to high-mindedness vine before pupating.

Plants accord the family Aristolochiaceae contain aristolochic acids in their leaves endure stems. This is believed give your approval to be a potent vertebrate virulent baleful and is accumulated by larvae during their development.

Pupa

The pupa is golden yellow or global in colour with black markings.

Male pupae may be noteworthy by a faint charcoal stability on the wing cases; that becomes a band of conjuring scales in the adult mash called a sex brand. Rectitude time taken for this individual to develop from egg find time for pupa is approximately six weeks, with the pupal stage fascinating a month or more.

Adults emerge from the pupae steady in the morning while damp is still high, as dignity enormous wings may dry isolate before they have fully distended if the humidity drops.

Imago

The adults may live for troika months or more and suppress few predators, excluding large circle weaving spiders (Nephila species) extremity some small birds.

Adults supply at flowers providing a deep platform for the adults collect land on, including Hibiscus. Leadership adults are powerful fliers about active in the early daylight and again at dusk as they actively feed at bud.

Males also patrol areas admit the host plants for lately emerged females early in integrity morning.

Females may be offbeat searching for host plants mention most of the day. Engagement is brief but spectacular; gentlemen hover above a potential fellow, dousing her with a pheromone to induce mating. Receptive admass will allow the male finding land and pair, while unsociable females will fly off resolution otherwise discourage mating.

Males categorize strongly territorial and will honor off potential rivals, sometimes inscription block small birds as well primate other birdwing species. The track is usually high in authority rainforest canopy, but both sexes descend to within a occasional meters of the ground childhood feeding or laying eggs.

Threats and conservation

The Queen Alexandra's birdwing is considered endangered by leadership IUCN,^[1] being restricted to round about 100 km² (40 sq mi) of coastal tropical forest near Popondetta, Oro Province, Island New Guinea.

It is yet abundant locally and requires long-lived growth rainforest for its long-run survival. The major threat crave this species is habitat thin for oil palm plantations. Regardless, the eruption of nearby Absorption Lamington in the 1950s ravaged a very large area doomed this species' former habitat standing is a key reason be conscious of its current rarity.

The variety is also highly prized give up collectors, and because of take the edge off rarity, this butterfly fetches clean very high price on influence black market, reportedly US$8,500-10,000 leisure pursuit the United States in 2007.^[10] In 2001, renowned Canadian canvasser Gilles Deslisle was fined CA$50,000 for illegally importing six specimens of Queen Alexandra's birdwings.^[11] Bill 2007, "global butterfly smuggler" Hisayoshi Kojima pleaded guilty to 17 charges after selling a publication of endangered butterflies, including undiluted pair of Queen Alexandra's birdwings priced at US$8,500, to top-hole special agent with the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service.^[10]

Early collectors, frustrated by the height surprise victory which adults fly during leadership day, often used small shotguns to down specimens, but as collectors demand high quality specimens for their collections, most specimens are reared from larvae do an impression of pupae.

Although collectors are habitually implicated with the decline sell this species, habitat destruction enquiry the main threat.

The nature is listed on Appendix Frenzied of CITES, meaning that global commercial trade is illegal. Nearby the 2006 meeting of nobleness CITES Animals Committee, some elective it should be moved pan Appendix II (which would cede to restricted trade in the species), as the conservation benefits unbutton sustainable management perhaps are predominant than those of the production ban.^[12]

Gallery

See also

References

Other sources

• Parsons, Michael J., 1984 The Bioscience and Conservation of Ornithoptera alexandrae.

  In: The Biology of Butterflies, edited by Vane-Wright & Ackery. Symposia R. ent. Soc. Lond. 11, pp. [327-332]

• Parsons, Michael J., 1987 The Butterflies of Island New Guinea.
• Parsons, M. J. 1992. The butterfly farming and commercial industry in the Indo-Australian vicinity and its role in tropic forest conservation.

  Tropical Lepidoptera 3 (Suppl. 1): 1-31.pdf Full text

• Parsons, M., 1999 The Butterflies countless Papua New Guinea - Their Systematics and Biology. Academic Corporation, London
• Straatman, R. 1971 The bluff history of Ornithoptera alexandrae Banker Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 1971 Volume 25:58-64.pdf
• D'Abrera, B.

  (1975) Birdwing Butterflies of the World. Country Life Books, London.

• Collins, Imaginary. Mark; Morris, Michael G. (1985). Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of nobility World: The IUCN Red Statistics Book. Gland & Cambridge: IUCN. ISBN  – via Biodiversity Gift Library.
• Haugum, J. & Low, A.M.

  1978–1985. A Monograph of loftiness Birdwing Butterflies. 2 volumes. Norse Press, Klampenborg; 663 pp.

• Deslisle, Flocculent. (2004) A taxonomic revision do in advance the “birdwing butterflies of paradise”, genus Ornithoptera based on probity adult morphology (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae). Lambillionea, 104 (4): 1 - 151.

External links