Subspecies Ornithoptera priamus poseidon (Doubleday, 1847)

Museums

Regional Maps

• Ornithoptera poseidon Doubleday, E. 1847. Descriptions of new or imperfectly described lepidopterous insects. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 1 19: 173-176 [173].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) BMNH Rh10807 1♂, Darnley Is., Torres Strait (designated in original description)
  Comment: Doubleday in the original description did not indicate the number of specimens described, only that Mr Jukes had found it abundantly; Gray, G.R. 1856. List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum. Part 1. Papilionidae. London : British Museum 106 pp. [3] (listed a single specimen in the BMNH); Howarth, T.G. 1977. A list of the type-specimens of Ornithoptera (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) in the British Museum (Natural History). Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History Entomol. 36(3): 153–169 [164] (listed a syntype in the BMNH and gave label data); Edwards, E.D., Newland, J. & Regan, L. 2001. Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea, Papilionoidea. In Wells, A. & Houston, W.W.K. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 31.6. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing, Australia. x 615 pp. (Gray's list suggests that the specimen in the BMNH is a holotype, but it is listed here as a syntype following Howarth).

  Type locality references:

  Gray, G.R. 1856. List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum. Papilionidae. London : British Museum (Natural History) Part 1 iii 106 pp.; Howarth, T.G. 1977. A list of the type-specimens of Ornithoptera (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) in the British Museum (Natural History). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomol. 36(3): 153-169; Edwards, E.D., Newland, J. & Regan, L. 2001. Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea, Papilionoidea. In Wells, A. & Houston, W.W.K. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 31.6. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing, Australia. x 615 pp.
• Papilio archideus Gray, 1853.

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) whereabouts unknown ♀, Waigeo, Indonesia. (Sulawesi (as Celebes), Indonesia given eroneously in original description)
  Comment: Gray in the original description did not indicate the number of specimens described; Gray, G.R. 1856. List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum. Part 1. Papilionidae. London : British Museum 106 pp. [2] (did not list a specimen in the BMNH); Howarth, T.G. 1977. A list of the type-specimens of Ornithoptera (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) in the British Museum (Natural History). Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History Entomol. 36(3): 153–169 [156] (did not list a type in the BMNH).

  Type locality references:

  Gray, G.R. 1856. List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum. Papilionidae. London : British Museum (Natural History) Part 1 iii 106 pp.; Howarth, T.G. 1977. A list of the type-specimens of Ornithoptera (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) in the British Museum (Natural History). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomol. 36(3): 153-169; Haugum, J. & Low, A.M. 1979. A Monograph of the Birdwing Butterflies. The systematics of Ornithoptera, Troides and related genera. Ornithoptera (Ornithoptera). Klampenborg, Denmark : Scandinavian Science Press Vol. 1(2) 85-192 pp. [Date published 1-Apr-79] [129] (gave Waigeo Is., Indonesia as the locality).
• Papilio cronius C. & R. Felder, 1864.

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) whereabouts unknown ♂, New Guinea (as Nova Guinea in original publication)
  Comment: the types will be the specimens described by De Haan.
• Papilio pegasus C. & R. Felder, 1864.

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) BMNH 1♂ 2♀, Papua New Guinea (given in 1864 by the Felders as Nova Guinea)
  Comment: the Felders in the original description mentioned several localities in New Guinea; Howarth, T.G. 1977. A list of the type-specimens of Ornithoptera (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) in the British Museum (Natural History). Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History Entomol. 36(3): 153–169 [164] (gave label data for three syntypes).

  Type locality references:

  Howarth, T.G. 1977. A list of the type-specimens of Ornithoptera (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) in the British Museum (Natural History). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomol. 36(3): 153-169.
• Papilio triton C. & R. Felder, 1864.

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) whereabouts unknown number and sex unknown, locality unknown
  Comment: the Felders referred to a specimen figured by Quoy & Gaimard in Voy. de l'Uranie et Physicienne p. 55 t. 83.
• Ornithoptera valentina Vuillot, P. 1892. [Description d'une variété nouvelle de Lépidoptère]. Bulletin de la Société Entomologique de France 1892: cxxiv-cxxv [124].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) whereabouts unknown ♂ ♀, near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (designated in original description)
  Comment: Vuillot in the original description mentioned both sexes.
• Ornithoptera priamus demophanes Fruhstorfer, H. 1913. Neue Indo-Australische Rhopaloceren. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift Iris 27(3): 130-139 [131].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) BMNH 1♀, Fergusson Is. (as Fergusson Insel), D'Entrecasteaux Is. (Papua New Guinea was the locality of the syntype listed by Howarth (1977))
  Comment: Fruhstorfer in the original description included both sexes; Howarth, T.G. 1977. A list of the type-specimens of Ornithoptera (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) in the British Museum (Natural History). Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History Entomol. 36(3): 153–169 [159] (listed a single female syntype in the BMNH and gave type information).

  Type locality references:

  Fruhstorfer, H. 1913. Neue Indo-Australische Rhopaloceren. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift Iris 27(3): 130-139 [131] (Fruhstorfer in the original description listed Fregusson Insel, Kiriwina (as Trobriand), Solomon Sea Is. and Engineer Group (as Engeneer Inseln), Louisiade Outliers, PNG); Howarth, T.G. 1977. A list of the type-specimens of Ornithoptera (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) in the British Museum (Natural History). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomol. 36(3): 153-169.
• Ornithoptera priamus eurysaces Fruhstorfer, H. 1913. Neue Indo-Australische Rhopaloceren. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift Iris 27(3): 130-139 [131].

  Type data:

   
  Syntype(s) BMNH 4♂ 2♀, Milne Bay (as Milnebai), Papua New Guinea (as Britisch Neu Guinea) (in original description); whereabouts unknown 3♀
  Comment: Fruhstorfer in the original description mentioned both sexes; Howarth, T.G. 1977. A list of the type-specimens of Ornithoptera (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) in the British Museum (Natural History). Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History Entomol. 36(3): 153–169 [159] (listed syntypes in BMNH and gave label data); not listed by Howarth.

  Type locality references:

  Howarth, T.G. 1977. A list of the type-specimens of Ornithoptera (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) in the British Museum (Natural History). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomol. 36(3): 153-169.
• Papilio (Troides) priamus teucrus Joicey, J.J. & Talbot, G. 1916. New Lepidoptera from the Schouten Islands. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 64(1): 65-83 pls 3-6 [67].

  Type data:

   
  Syntype(s) BMNH 28♂ 22♀, Biak, Kepulauan Skouten, Irian Jaya (designated in original description); whereabouts unknown 107♂ 88♀
  Comment: Joicey & Talbot in the original description mentioned many specimens; Howarth, T.G. 1977. A list of the type-specimens of Ornithoptera (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) in the British Museum (Natural History). Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History Entomol. 36(3): 153–169 [166] (recorded label data of BMNH syntypes); not listed in the BMNH by Howarth.

  Type locality references:

  Howarth, T.G. 1977. A list of the type-specimens of Ornithoptera (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) in the British Museum (Natural History). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomol. 36(3): 153-169.
• Papilio (Troides) priamus ornata Niepelt, W. 1934. Neue papuanische Papilio (Troides)-Formen. Internationale Entomologische Zeitschrift 28(7): 69-72 [69 figs 1, 2].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) whereabouts unknown 3♂ 2♀, Lelaki Is., Irian Jaya (given in original description as Lelaki, a small island in a group off the SW coast of Dutch New Guinea)
  Comment: Niepelt in the original description described three males and two females.

 

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Edwards, E.D. 1996. Papilionidae. pp. 237-239, 357-358, in Nielsen, E.S., Edwards, E.D. & Rangsi, T.V. (eds). Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia. Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Vol. 4 xiv 529 pp. & CD-ROM. [239]

 

Distribution

States

Queensland

Extra Distribution Information

Occurs on the Torres Strait Ils; extralimital distribution—Indonesia (Irian Jaya), Papua New Guinea.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

drainage basins and coastal and oceanic zones

IBRA

Qld: Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Desert Uplands (DEU), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Gulf Plains (GUP), Mount Isa Inlier (MII), NSW North Coast (NNC), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Wet Tropics (WT)

Other Regions

Torres Strait Islands terrestrial, marine & freshwater

Original AFD Distribution Data

Australian Region

• Australia
  • Queensland: N Gulf, NE coastal
• Indonesia
  • Irian Jaya
• Papua New Guinea

Ecological Descriptors

Larva: herbivore (associated flora: Aristolochia chalmersii O.C.Schmidt [ARISTOLOCHIACEAE]; Aristolochia tagala Cham. [ARISTOLOCHIACEAE]).

 

General References

Common, I.F.B. & Waterhouse, D.F. 1981. Butterflies of Australia. Sydney : Angus & Robertson xiv 682 pp. 49 pls. [260] (biology)

Haugum, J. & Low, A.M. 1979. A Monograph of the Birdwing Butterflies. The systematics of Ornithoptera, Troides and related genera. Ornithoptera (Ornithoptera). Klampenborg, Denmark : Scandinavian Science Press Vol. 1(2) 85-192 pp. [Date published 1-Apr-79] [126] (bibliography, biology, and incorrect subsequent spelling of eurysaces Fruhstorfer, 1913 as eurysaches; [141] biology, macalpinei as a synonym of pronomus)

Parsons, M.J. 1998. The Butterflies of Papua New Guinea; their systematics and biology. San Diego : Academic Press 736 pp. [226]

Rothschild, L.W. 1895. A revision of the Papilios of the eastern hemisphere, exclusive of Africa. Novitates Zoologicae 2(3): 167-463 pl. 6 [188] (biology, synonymies)

Waterhouse, G.A. 1932. What Butterfly is That? A Guide to the Butterflies of Australia. Illustrated by Neville Cayley. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 291 pp. 34 pls. [Date published 15/Dec/1932] [28] (biology, common name)

Waterhouse, G.A. & Lyell, G. 1914. The Butterflies of Australia: a monograph of the Australian Rhopalocera introducing a complete scheme of structural classification, and giving descriptions and illustrations of all the butterflies found in Australia, including a number now recorded for the first time. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 239 pp. 38 pls + 3 unnumbered colour pls. [Date published 25 July 1914] [158] (description, distribution)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
05-Mar-2013		21-Jul-2015	MODIFIED
30-Mar-2012		30-Mar-2012	MODIFIED
28-Mar-2012		28-Mar-2012	MODIFIED
28-Mar-2012		05-Apr-2011	MODIFIED
		12-Feb-2010	(import)