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Post by simosg on Nov 29, 2012 12:36:41 GMT -8
I got the female below as P. rex ssp. regulana. I don't know anything about regulana. Any idea? By the way, is there a good book around for P. rex? Hannes Attachments:
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Post by Adam Cotton on Nov 29, 2012 14:07:20 GMT -8
regulana Vane-Wright, 1995 is a replacement name for the homonym regulus Le Cerf, 1919, type locality: Kibaje (Kikuyu Escarpment), 2100 m. which is in Kenya.
Are you sure that this specimen is a female? The abdomen appears to have claspers.
Adam.
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Post by africaone on Nov 29, 2012 23:06:13 GMT -8
there are no books for Papilionidae of Africa.  all the existing faunas (Berger, D'Abrera, Larsen, Smith & Vane-Wright, ...) are very poorly illustrated  the most illustrated for rex is D'abrera ! |
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Post by simosg on Nov 30, 2012 11:16:20 GMT -8
Yes, the abdomen indeed has claspers! But is the wingshape usual for a male?
Hannes
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Post by Adam Cotton on Nov 30, 2012 12:11:19 GMT -8
Yes the wingshape does seem unusual, it reminds me of some of the oddities with shortened forewings obtained from some of the Asian Papilios I have bred. Could this specimen be ex pupa?
Adam.
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Post by simosg on Nov 30, 2012 12:25:34 GMT -8
It has some flightwear, but why not. What do you think which ssp. it is?
Hannes
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Post by thanos on Nov 30, 2012 20:10:10 GMT -8
I don't think it could be expupa - it has also a chip on the apex of the right forewing.
Morphologically your specimen fits to ssp. mimeticus (the red form) in colors and patterns. And it is a male (as noted above) with aberrant wingshape which makes it look like female. Wingshape can be variable within the populations of many species in nature. I have a female mimeticus from RDC from Thierry in my collection, which has more falcate forewings than your male. And I have collected also some specimens here in Greece of some species (e.g. of Apatura iris) with aberrant wingshape, not so typical of their sex.
Thanos
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Post by simosg on Dec 1, 2012 11:01:57 GMT -8
If you don't have the time to kill an emerged specimen the same day, why should it have no flightwear?
Which are the morphological signs for mimeticus?
Hannes
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Post by Adam Cotton on Dec 1, 2012 11:32:39 GMT -8
If you don't have the time to kill an emerged specimen the same day, why should it have no flightwear? Hannes It only takes a few seconds of flapping wings in a cage to rub the forewings like that. Also the chip at the tip of the forewing could have very easily been caused by the tip of the forewing being trapped in the pupal case and broken off when it emerged. Note the rounded edge of the chip. Usually chips made after the wings dry are pointed. Adam. |
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Post by thanos on Dec 1, 2012 19:21:42 GMT -8
''Which are the morphological signs for mimeticus?''
- The main sign is on the hindwings. The discal area + part of the postdiscal + the part of the submarginal area which is close to the anal angle have reddish brown color (on the red form) and yellowish (on the yellow form). This coloration at these HW areas makes a good contrast with the black color that most of the submarginal area + the outer part of the postdiscal area (which is between the white spots) have.
Thanos
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Post by colin12303 on Dec 2, 2012 1:04:45 GMT -8
I put a photo on here showing rex regulus(regulana)in march.
You would be hard pushed to seperate nominate,commixtus,and regulus,they all look the same,and are all variable.
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Post by simosg on Dec 2, 2012 5:06:46 GMT -8
So these subspecies can only be identified by their origin?
Hannes
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Post by Adam Cotton on Dec 2, 2012 6:57:51 GMT -8
So these subspecies can only be identified by their origin? Hannes Thats why they are generally regarded as synonyms  Adam. |
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Post by simosg on Dec 2, 2012 11:41:01 GMT -8
Didn't know they are regarded as synonyms. So there are only the following "real" subspecies known in P. rex?
P. rex rex (= mimeticus, commixtus, regulus)
P. rex schultzei
P. rex abyssinicus
P. rex franciscae
Hannes
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Post by thanos on Dec 2, 2012 16:48:27 GMT -8
Sorry but my rex rex from Tanzania are very different from my rex mimeticus from R D Congo. I think these can't be synonyms.
Thanos
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