Common Birdwing(?)

[horace2264]

Found this Birdwing with the spots on the upperside conjoined, and those on the underside disjoined. The typical Common Birdwing female has spots disjoined on both under- and uppersides.

[Commander]

Rather large spots, but you're right, it's probably an aberration or variation in the spots rather than a different species here.

[Psyche]

A bit of variation in the size of the black spots is not unusual. Races from the eastern islands of the Malay archipelago have even larger & conjoined spots.

There is no indication of a trace of amphrysus blood. It would appear that the marginal spots are larger & taller.

TL Seow

[horace2264]

A bit of variation in the size of the black spots is not unusual. Races from the eastern islands of the Malay archipelago have even larger & conjoined spots.

There is no indication of a trace of amphrysus blood. It would appear that the marginal spots are larger & taller.

TL Seow

Thanks, Seow for the comments and confirmation.
With such variations in hindwing spots for the female, keys 4 and 7 (pages 58-59, C&P4) need to be revised to include such possibilities.

[Psyche]

With such variations in hindwing spots for the female, keys 4 and 7 (pages 58-59, C&P4) need to be revised to include such possibilities.

The same variations are also seen in examples of T. helena female in Malaysia.
C&P4's key is meant for the race cerberus only & that only for the usual forms. To include the uncommon variations will surely overlaps with that of amphrysus.

In the same way, the female of ssp. ruficollis of T. amphrysus may have the large black submarginal spots not actually touching each other, i.e. not conjoined, but are joined to the marginal spots.
The female is identifiable by other means; the forewing is brown never black; the vein-stripes are arranged in such a way that there is a square area of dark brown in the basal 1/2.
The thorax on the underside of both sexes is totally black, and never with the red mark seen in helena .

TL Seow

[teotp]

There are many variations of T. helena cerberus. Specimens examined by Haugum & Low (1982-1985) from BMNH, RMNH, Copenhagen Zool. Museum., Treadaway Frankfurt Coll. ..etc. and documented by them:

Male forms:
1. f-cerberus Felder: with median stripe on underside of FW, upperside also distinctly striped, and HW with larger subcostal patch.
2. f-eumagos Jordan 1908: FW without median stripe, or the latter submarginal; the subcostal patch of the HW typically reduced in size.
3. f- no name: HW with full compliment of small black spots.
4. f- no name: HW notably triangular, with outer margin convex instead of concave (samples from Cameron Highlands).
5. f- no name: HW with a black blotch within the subcostal space, a large black spot in the space below, an smaller spots in the remaining spaces(N. India & Thailand).
6. f- no name: Costal-subcostal of HW much extended, the black spots increased in size (Thailand).

Female forms:
1. f-chongkiakwangi Tung 1981: a male like form which largely lack of blacks spots on the HW.
2. f- no name: Pale vien stripes and cell-patch coloured bluish-grey.
3. f- no name: Pale vien stripes and cell-patch coloured yellow or yellow-tan.
4. f- pluto Felder 1864: Pale area of HW coloured with red instead of yellow.

Similarly for T. amphrysus ruficollis (both males and females), many variations too.

Specimen variation occurs partly due to genetic mutations and varying environmental factors(e.g. availability and quality of larval food..), but most important is because of individuals possess different combinations from the selection of genes available to them.

Teo T P

(FW= forewings; HW= hindwings; BMNH= British Museum Natural History; RMNH= Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Histoire, Leiden)