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Post by nomad on May 28, 2014 9:36:52 GMT -8
 Delias alberti tetamba female. Collected by Laurie Wills, Summit Ridge Mount Popomanaseu, Guadalcanal - 2300 meters. Ex collection Jens Jakusch ( Aureus Butterflies). Seen at Modena but not forgotten.  Delias alberti ( Rothschild 1904 ) is a beautiful and rare Delias species that was discovered by A. S. Meek and A.F. Eichhorn on the north coast of Choiseul in 1903. Half a century later in 1953, William Brandt discovered D. alberti subspecies guava high in the mountains of Bougainville . D. alberti have not been collected in those localities since the original captures. In 1965, a Royal Society expedition discovered a new subspecies D. alberti tetamba on Santa Isabel. Males of the new subspecies tetamba were apparently taken in lowland secondary forest at the village of Tatamba by native collectors in their gardens . Here they also took a series of the rare Delias messalina orientalis. Both were described by Ramnik Arora of the BMNH in 1983. The 1965 Royal Society expedition also visited Mount Popomanaseu on Guadalcanal a few days later and here they took a specimen of D. messalina orientalis. In 1996, John Tennent led an Imperial college of London expedition to the remote summit area of Mount Popomanaseu on Guadalcanal to search for another enigmatic butterfly Tiradelphe schneideri of the Danainae family. Two females of T. schneideri had been previously taken by the 1965 Royal Society expedition and the aim was discover the male. No further specimens of Triadelphe schneideri were captured during the Tennent expedition, however flying around the summit area at 2300 meters were a number of Delias alberti tetamba and a good series of both sexes were taken. Delias alberti was flying with smaller numbers of the equally beautiful Delias messalina orientalis and this butterfly was also captured. Most of the rare Delias were seen flying high around the canopy where they were seen feeding at flowers. In 1997, John Tennent explored the original locality on the coast at Tatamba on Santa Isabel for both Delias alberti tetamba and D. messialina orientalis but found neither species. In his Butterflies of the Solomon Islands ( 2002) John Tennent mentioned that this lowland habitat at Tatamba seemed quite unsuitable. It seemed highly unlikely that the high montane Delias of Guadalcanal would have occurred in the lowland secondary forest at Tatamba. It is known the collecting of butterflies was just a small part of the original 1965 Royal Society expedition and they had no specialist lepidopterist with them. The butterflies of the Royal Society expedition were stored away in the BMNH till Arora had a good look at the butterfly captures in the early 1980s. It seems that there was probably a mix up of the specimen data labels. Leaving Santa Isabel the 1965 expedition were soon high on Mount Popomanaseu collecting where both D. alberti and D messialina were later refound by John Tennent. It seems highly likely all the specimens of D. alberti and D. messalina collected in 1965 may have been captured on Guadalcanal in the high montane forest of Mount Popomanaseu. The lepidopterist David Hall has also visited Tatamba on Santa Isabel and again saw neither Delias species. If the Tatamba locality is a bogus one then Delias alberti tetamba would seem to have a highly inappropriate sub-specific name. The higher mountains of Santa Isabel have been little explored and there is a very good possibility that these montane Delias, perhaps even new subspecies will be found there. I have mentioned that the nominate Delias alberti has yet to be refound on Choiseul. Because of the very hostile natives Meek could only collect in the lowland areas and it was here that he took a long series of the nominate [ Perhaps reaching 500 meters). So dangerous were the Choiseul natives that Meek kept a boat off shore to evacuate the collecting party in case of danger. I have read there has been much logging of the forests and the planting of Oil plantations in the North of Choiseul where Meek encountered D. alberti. These remote Solomon Island Mountains are hard to access except by helicopter. The terrain is very rugged and unforgiving. Over zealous and sometimes dangerous landowners demanding high payment are just a few of the many hazards that collectors have to face to capture butterflies in the region. Any one interested further in the two remarkable Delias species messalina orientalis and alberti tetamba should join the Face book Delias of the World group where a selection of photographs can be found of the habitat of both species and further remarkable images of the capture of these two super rare beauties in the field, courtesy of course of Laurie Wills. Laurie was the first intrepid butterfly collector to attain the summit of Mount Popmanaseu since John Tennent and his colleagues did so during 1996 expedition. |
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cyane
Junior Member
Posts: 47
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Post by cyane on May 28, 2014 16:44:04 GMT -8
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Post by nomad on May 28, 2014 21:11:49 GMT -8
Thanks David, I thought it would be good to include all our knowledge of this wonderful Delias. However, not quite it seems. Your research has turned up a amazing find, a male D. alberti alberti caught in Choiseul in 1973. This specimens held at the Smithsonian Washington NMNH proves that the nominate race had been retaken many years after Meek discovered it there in 1903. Like you, I wonder if there are any other specimens from Choiseul, either in museums or private collections?
Peter.
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terry2014
Junior Member
Birthday April 14 1938
Posts: 33 
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Post by terry2014 on May 29, 2014 2:48:18 GMT -8
Mrs R.H.Morgan was a well known supplier or specimens from the Solomon islands back in the seventies. She was an English lady I believe, not sure but I think she was from Kent. It would be interesting to hear if other collectors in the U.K. can remember or purchased specimens from her. Terry.
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Post by nomad on May 29, 2014 9:23:43 GMT -8
Thanks Terry for the information on Mrs R.H. Morgan. If this lady was a butterfly dealer from England then the Delias alberti alberti may have been sold by her, but was this specimen also collected by her? I have not heard of this lady before but perhaps some of the British collectors here will know more about the lady in question.
Peter.
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terry2014
Junior Member
Birthday April 14 1938
Posts: 33
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Post by terry2014 on May 29, 2014 12:43:40 GMT -8
Its a long time back and my memory is not that good but I believe she lived on Choisel island but had relations in the U.K. she had many collectors and collected herself. I don"t think she was that knowledgeable. She sent me a pair of O.victoria saying "these look different" and a female Polyura epigenes female with the comment "some kind of Papilio so she or one of her collectors could have captured the Delias in question without knowing what it was.
I remember her as as a really pleasant lady. I never knew her age so she could easily be alive and well, living in England. Terry.
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cyane
Junior Member
Posts: 47
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Post by cyane on May 29, 2014 17:10:01 GMT -8
I did a quick google for Mrs R H Morgan and found that she advertised Solomon Island butterflies for sale in the "News of the Lepidopterists Society" in October 1964, June 1967, June 1965 and Oct. 1970. Her address is given as Marine Dept;, Honiara, a postal box in Honiara and in 1970 as 130 Hutchinson Ave., New Lynn, Auckland 7, New Zealand.
On the Swallowtails of the World website there is a pic of a Graphium codrus tenebrionis from Rannonga wirh the data "Oct 7 1970, leg.: R.H.Morgan"
The holotype specimen of Papilio bridgei ssp. michae (Racheli 1984) has the data "11.V.1973, R. H. Morgan leg".
The type of Graphium mendana malaitae (Miller and Miller 1981, actually a synonym of aureofasciatum)has the data "SOLOMON ISLANDS: MALAITA I.: no further locality, 22.iv.1968 (Mrs. R.H. Morgan)"
She seems to have been quite a busy lady.
She must have been very interesting to talk to Terry.
I'm interested in the altitude that D alberti flies at on Choiseul, it doesnt seem to be recorded.
Tennent in his book "Butterflies of the Solomon Islands" states that D alberti alberti is "Known only from a series of specimens taken on Choiseul in the first decade of the 20th century", and that there is no information about its flight/habitat and that its host plant is not known.
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Post by laurie1 on May 29, 2014 21:07:12 GMT -8
R.H Morgan... Roger and his wife Carol lived in the Solomons between the mid 60s and 70s. I met Roger in 1975 when he was managing the Napier Marineland on the east coast of NZ. Roger was responsible for introducing me to the wonders of Ornithoptera. In fact I purchased my first specimen from him - a glorious male O. v. reginae! I couldn't sleep for almost a month! My parents were convinced I had have found true love! Roger actually had pupae of victoriae in his hot water cupboard. The purchase of my reginae cost me one month's wages. Not an inconsiderable "investment" for an impressionable young 14 year old who had held down a full-time job for almost one year. Here's an interesting factoid most of you don't know about me - I left school at the young age of 13  . I remember Roger as an incredibly affable fellow. A master story teller. I can vividly remember one particular story. Roger owned a boat and used to cruise between the various islands picking up "cargo". Via CB radio they used code. A blue lady pick up meant urvillianus. A green damsel victoriae. Back in the early 70s, post protection, dabbling in Ornithoptera was serious business and all Lepidoptera in the Solomons were pretty much "controlled" by Schenider (whereas Straatman was the "king" of the Papuan Region). But more about that another time! I last spoke with Roger in 1991, before embarking on my first trip to the Solomons. Roger kindly shared with me many of his contacts.Amusingly the people on the Nggela Islands still remembered Roger as "Captain Morgan" (after the rum). At last check Roger was in Tasmania, Australia. I wonder if he may still be with us? |
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Post by nomad on May 31, 2014 10:39:37 GMT -8
As far as I know, A. S. Meek never collected high in the mountains in the Solomon Islands. He seem to have visited most of the Islands, but at this period, it was just too dangerous to attempt an expedition into the interior to reach the mountains. Lord Walter Rothschild of the Tring museum pressed Meek for a mountain expedition in the Solomons. In his very fine book ' A Naturalist in Cannibal Land ' Meek wrote that he contemplated the idea. He wrote that it would perhaps have been possible to reach the mountains of Guadalcanal or Bougainville, however, he also mentions that " I am not quite mad enough to attempt a mountain trip there not at least not without knowing a great deal than I know at present". Meek's collecting adventures in the Solomon Islands where he made so very fine natural history discoveries seem to have been confined to the lowland forest and foothills. As I have mentioned above, Meek clearly stated that the natives of Choiseul were very savage and he stayed near the coast, he certainly did not mount a mountain expedition there.
A lepidopterist recently mentioned that major differences in altitude are usually a species characteristic and would such a rare and known montane species such as Delias alberti also occur in lowland forest. According to Ramnik Arora of the BMNH ( 1983) Meek collected D. alberti on the north of Choiseul in December 1903 and in the same month he took a good series of a new subspecies of Delias schoenbergi choiseuli, a species that is known to occur in lowland forest. It does seem that Meek encountered the nominate D. alberti in lowland forest or in the lower footlhills ( 500 meters). Is there then a remote possibility that subspecies tetamba could have occurred at a lower altitude on Santa Isabel. However, as the latter has only been found on a summit ridge of a remote mountain on Guadalcanal, this seems very questionable. The nominate D. alberti may also occur on Choiseul at higher altitude?
In January 1904 Meek was collecting in the coastal forest near Tauro village ( Taora ) on the south-eastern part of Choiseul and here he made the important discovery of the strange Solomons Crested Pigeon ( Microgoura meeki ). Unfortunately for the pigeon and for future naturalists, Meek was the only collector to see this species in the wild, because in spite of extensive searches it has never been seen again and has long been known to be extinct.
Perhaps the best source of information of Meek's collecting activities on Choiseul and the other Solomon Islands come from his great benefactor, Walter Rothschild.
In an article in Novitates Zoologicae ( 1905) on the new bird species that Meek discovered on Bougainville, Santa Isabel and Choiseul , Lord Walter Rothschild wrote " Moreover Mr Meek was of course not able to penetrate far into the interior, but had to restrict his collecting to the coastal portion of those islands. Mr Meek is congratulated on having achieved a visit to Choiseul and Bougainville on account of the want of communications and the hostility of the natives. We hope that he will long continue his successful explorations of these islands " ' Praise from Caesar is praise indeed'
Peter.
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Post by exoticimports on Jun 3, 2014 11:09:44 GMT -8
Glad to hear somebody made it to Pap again. I couldn't get it organized a decade ago. I assume Laurie went from the Weather Coast. I think a great 5-day hike (one way) would be to follow the route via Gold Ridge taken by coastwatcher Martin Clemens.
I took a schneideri on Makira, traded it to Andrew R. for the first P. Jupiter from Makira, then lost the Jupiter to Tennent & BMNH. Damn.
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Post by nomad on Jun 3, 2014 11:57:23 GMT -8
I took a schneideri on Makira, traded it to Andrew Warren for the first P. Jupiter from Makira, then lost the Jupiter to Tennent & BMNH. Damn. That's very interesting, I had read that Tiradelphe schneideri was only known from two females caught during the 1965 expedition on the summit of Mount Popomanaseu. |
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Post by Adam Cotton on Jun 3, 2014 13:25:33 GMT -8
I took a schneideri on Makira, traded it to Andrew Warren for the first P. Jupiter from Makira, then lost the Jupiter to Tennent & BMNH. Damn. That's very interesting, I had read that Tiradelphe schneideri was only known from two females caught during the 1965 expedition on the summit of Mount Popomanaseu. I seem to remember the male was discovered a few years ago. I'm pretty sure I have a copy of the paper somewhere, but I don't remember who wrote it or which journal it is in. Adam. |
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Post by ash on Jun 3, 2014 14:44:24 GMT -8
R.H Morgan... Roger and his wife Carol lived in the Solomons between the mid 60s and 70s. I have shells ( Lambis chiragra, Strombus pipus and Strombus bulla) in my collection labelled as collected by Morgan from the Solomons in the 1960's. I wonder if they are one and the same people? Any ideas Laurie - were they also into shells? Ash |
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Post by nomad on Jun 3, 2014 22:00:32 GMT -8
That's very interesting, I had read that Tiradelphe schneideri was only known from two females caught during the 1965 expedition on the summit of Mount Popomanaseu. I seem to remember the male was discovered a few years ago. I'm pretty sure I have a copy of the paper somewhere, but I don't remember who wrote it or which journal it is in. Adam. I am quite sure that the male has not yet been discovered and published. Peter. |
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Post by nomad on Jun 4, 2014 5:36:51 GMT -8
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. I remember Roger as an incredibly affable fellow. A master story teller. I can vividly remember one particular story. Roger owned a boat and used to cruise between the various islands picking up "cargo". Via CB radio they used code. A blue lady pick up meant urvillianus. A green damsel victoriae. Back in the early 70s, post protection, dabbling in Ornithoptera was serious business and all Lepidoptera in the Solomons were pretty much "controlled" by Schenider (whereas Straatman was the "king" of the Papuan Region). But more about that another time! I last spoke with Roger in 1991, before embarking on my first trip to the Solomons. Roger kindly shared with me many of his contacts.Amusingly the people on the Nggela Islands still remembered Roger as "Captain Morgan" (after the rum). At last check Roger was in Tasmania, Australia. I wonder if he may still be with us?
