Bhutanitis lidderdalii Atkinson, 1873

Introduction

The life history of this species has been discussed in detail by Talbot (1939) and Igarashi (1989). The genitalia have been illustrated and discussed by Saigusa (1973), Saigusa and Lee (1982) and Chou (1992). Saigusa (1973) proposed a system of wing pattern character coding based on the wing pattern of B. lidderdalii.

Geographical Distribution

This species is found in northern India, northern Burma, Bhutan, west and southwest China, and northern Thailand (Chou, 1994).

Geographical Variation

Beside the nominal subspecies, B. lidderdalii lidderdalii Atkinson, 1873 (Type locality: Buxa, Bhutan), three other subspecies are recognized: B. l. spinosa Stichel, 1907 (Type locality: Sichuan, W. China.), B. l. ocellatomaculata Igarashi, 1979 (Type locality: Chiang-Mai, northern Thailand), and B. l. nobucoae Morita, 1997 (Type locality: N. Kachin, Myanmar) (Coote, 2000).

Larval Food Plant

The larvae of B. lidderdalii feed on species of Aristolochia (Aristolochiaceae). Recorded host species include A. griffithii, A. kaempferii, A. mandshuriensis, A. shimadai and A. debilis (Igarashi, 1985, 1989).

References

Atkinson, W.S., 1873. Description of a new genus and species of Papilionidae from the south-eastern Himalayas. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1873: 570-572.

Chou, I., 1992. A Study on the rare butterflies of the genus Bhutanitis (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) with descriptions of two new species. Entomotaxonomia, 14: 48-54.

Chou, I., 1994. Monographia Rhopalocerum Sinensium. Volume 1: 408 pp. Henan Scientific and Technological Publishing House, China.

Coote, L., 2000. CITES identification guide - Butterflies: Guide to the Identification of Butterfly Species Controlled Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Ottawa: Canadian Wildlife Service.

Igarashi, S., 1979. A new papilionid butterfly of the genus Bhutanitis from northern Thailand. Tyô to Ga 30: 69-72.

Igarashi, S., 1985. Some ecological observations on Bhutanitis lidderdali inhabiting misty forsests. Yadoriga 123: 24-26.

Igarashi, S., 1989. On the life history of Bhutanitis lidderdalei Atkinson in Bhutan (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae). Tyô to Ga 40: 1-21.

Saigusa, T., 1973. A phylogeny of the genus Luehdorfia. Konchû-to-Shizen 8: 5-18.

Saigusa, T., Lee, C., 1982. A rare papilionid butterfly Bhutanitis mansfieldi (Riley), its rediscovery, new subspecies and phylogenetic position. Tyô to Ga 33: 1-24.

Talbot, G., 1939. The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Butterflies, Vol. I. Taylor and Francis Ltd., London.