If there is no definite affirmative of the identity of Papilio terpsicore, ie. no type specimen, drawing or proper description, then it cannot be used no matter how high the probability that it is the same as A. violae.
I am more interested in how the name Tawny Coster comes about.
I have seen it being written as Tawny Coaster, so it may be a corruption of this or even Castor (genus Ariadne which hostplant is Castor-oil plant).
As it is, Coster is quite meaningless, but perhaps an accountant can comprehend it.
TL Seow
PS. Linnaeus uses the names of many deities & heroes of Greek mythology.
Terpsichore with an 'h' is the accepted spelling in transliterated Greek. She is one of the Nine Muses.
Terpsichore is the goddess of dance & choral singing.
Although spelt as 'Terpsicore' this cannot when in use be corrected to 'Terpsichore' (except perhaps by the author on application to ICZN).
Last edited by Psyche; 16-Aug-2013 at 08:15 AM.
Reason: PS
A Coster (also called a Costermonger) is an old English name for someone who sells fruit and vegetables etc. from a barrow. An odd name to use!
I suspect that is used to be Coaster (not because it is found by coasts, but because of its flight which is usually weak and can be described as coasting along), but, like the Sailers/Sailors, it got corrupted over time and the 'wrong' version got into general usage.
Just to confuse matters further, is A. terpsicore the same species as mentioned in D. A. Swanpoel's Butterflies of South Africa (1953) as Acraea terpsichore Linnaeus 1758, which, in Funet, is considered a synonym of A. serena? Funet mentions ssp. of A. terpsicore (note change of spelling for the ssp.) named neobule, seis, arabica and legrandi, but includes them as ssp. of A. neobule. A further ssp. A. terpsicore mahela is also mentioned as a seperate species, A. mahela.
This translates roughly as Wings oblong wholly yellow, rear fully ?not sure, several black spots. Habitat. Asia.
Since there are only two Acraea in Asia, the other being A. issoria, this has to be A. violae unless there is a location error.
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