Cyrestis thyodamas & map butterflies

[trehopr1]

Here is my specimen of this very intricately
patterned species -- Meghalaya India/1968

Though inexpensive as specimens go it ranks as
the single most detailed (in design) butterflies
that I have...

[Paul K]

Genus Cyrestis is a very interesting in design. I collected 4 species of Cyrestis in Thailand and Laos.
Here is one of them: Cyrestis nivea tonkiniana which occurs in Laos.



Trehopr1 C.thomadas should be thyodamas 

[trehopr1]

Fabulous example Paul !

I have come to expect no less from you when you show us something of yours.

Thank you for that correction reminder. A (typo)...

[Paul K]

I’d like to add that this is the only genus that I’ve seen resting on the ground with wings exactly spread as a specimen.

[wolf]

Cyrestis maenalis rothschildi From Mindoro Isl. in The Philippines.

[Paul K]

Dear members
I’d like to propose open genus thread titles.
For example “Cyrestis sp.” or “Genus: Cyrestis”, etc.
This way we can post photos of our specimens under one thread as many of us have different species in our collections.
This would make a variety and many pictures of related species at one place.
Of course I’m not talking here about genus Papilio for example coz that would take hundred of pages of photos but less common butterflies and moths.

Just my thoughts to make this forum more interesting.

Thank you Trehopre1 for posting always interesting articles with photos.


Cheers and happy posting
Paul

[trehopr1]

Hello wolf, your specimens are equally impressive indeed !

Thank you so much for sharing with us....


Paul, wonderful idea... One of the moderators can move this thread to Lepidoptera and re-label it for us as Cyrestis or Map butterflies (whichever they prefer).

I also have another African species to post soon as I get a picture. It's considered common but, these are ALL such lovely butterflies !

*Could you Paul perhaps, show us all 4 of the species which you encountered ? One picture is good of all four...

[Adam Cotton]

Nov 11, 2020 8:48:28 GMT -8 trehopr1 said:

Paul, wonderful idea... One of the moderators can move this thread to Lepidoptera and re-label it for us as Cyrestis or Map butterflies (whichever they prefer).

Done, as requested, and I edited the subject line accordingly. I had to leave the species name in the subject as it's not mentioned in the first post.

Here in Thailand, as well as Cyrestis we also have smaller related orange map butterflies of genus Chersonesia. I expect Paul knows these too.

Adam.

[Paul K]

Nov 11, 2020 12:40:58 GMT -8 Adam Cotton said:

Nov 11, 2020 8:48:28 GMT -8 trehopr1 said:

Paul, wonderful idea... One of the moderators can move this thread to Lepidoptera and re-label it for us as Cyrestis or Map butterflies (whichever they prefer).

Done, as requested, and I edited the subject line accordingly. I had to leave the species name in the subject as it's not mentioned in the first post.

Here in Thailand, as well as Cyrestis we also have smaller related orange map butterflies of genus Chersonesia. I expect Paul knows these too.

Adam.

Yes, indeed , I think I collected two species of Chersonesia, I will post when I get the chance to take a photo.

[Paul K]

Cyrestis themire is the smallest species with wingspan reaching 35mm.
Cyrestis themire themire inhabits peninsular and south Thailand, Myanmar and W.Malaysia.
I found it on two neighbouring islands on Gulf of Thailand: Koh Samui and Koh Phangan.

[Paul K]

Cyrestis cocles is another species occurs in SE Asia. Subspecies earli inhabits peninsular Thailand.
I only found it common on Koh Tao, small island on Gulf of Thailand. I remember I must to see this species once also on mainland Thailand near Chonburi but I wouldn't say it is common and there is nominate ssp.cocles.

On Koh Tao there are two forms: formosa and earli.

Top: Cyrestis cocles earli  f.formosa
bottom: Cyrestis cocles earli  f.earli

[trehopr1]

Wow, you really collected some nice things there Paul on your visits to Thailand and Laos.

I don't think you would necessarily even see some of this stuff at the Insect fairs in Europe.

As always, top notch prep work !

Bravo

[Paul K]

This is also Cyrestis thyodamas ssp.thyodamas. It is most common of Cyrestis sp. in Thailand.

Top: rain season form
Bottom: dry season form

[Paul K]

Cyrestis maenalis has been only recently discovered in Thailand and is very rare only near Thai/Malayan border.
I miss this species to complete a list of Cyrestis.

[wollastoni]

Let's show a very different Cyrestis than those already posted here.

Cyrestis biaka endemic from Biak island (New Guinea) that I caught in 2009.

[wollastoni]

People who collect them by purchasing may not know the VERY special behaviour of Cyrestis species.
Most of the time, they sit on the underside of leaves with they wings horizontaly spread (a little bit like Geometridae). A rather unique behavious for a Nymphalidae.

[Paul K]

I wouldn’t guess the genus of your specimen, so different from other “maps”.
Thanks for sharing Olivier.

[Adam Cotton]

Indeed, I wouldn't realise that C. biaka belongs to genus Cyrestis as it looks rather different.

Are there similar species elsewhere in the New Guinea area?

Adam.

[trehopr1]

Dang Paul, your rainy season form of C. thyodamas is pretty much like mine !

Well, yours is I suppose a bit "darker" in its details.

[wollastoni]

Nov 13, 2020 9:34:20 GMT -8 Adam Cotton said:

Indeed, I wouldn't realise that C. biaka belongs to genus Cyrestis as it looks rather different.

Are there similar species elsewhere in the New Guinea area?

Adam.

Yes Cyrestis acilia from New Guinea is very close to biaka.
biaka was first considered as a ssp of acilia before getting its full species status.

[trehopr1]

Olivier, in looking up your specimen it seems that biaka is a subspecies name of the species Cyrestis acilia (Godart/1819).

Henk van Mastrigt (your dear friend) has a paper on its distribuition, subspecies, and forms (on the web)!

[wollastoni]

In fact, van Mastrigt gave a full species status to biaka.
www.sugapa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Henk-van-Mastrigt-Cyrestis-acilia-Sugapa-51-2010.pdf

I encourage all of you to subscribe to Sugapa periodical. New Guinea being one of the last area on Earth where several full species of rhopalocera are discovered every year.
www.sugapa.org/

BTW I still need to finish the paper, but I will describe a new taxon in the next Sugapa volume.

[wollastoni]

A short extract of van Mastrigt paper :

Discussion
The author agrees with Fruhstorfer's (1912: 589), statement that ssp. biaka
cannot be treated as a subspecies, but should be given specific rank and
herewith propose the formal combination: Cyrestes biaka Grose Smith, 1894,
stat. nov. The much more obvious subapical and subterminal rows of black
Description
Male - Upperside of forewing brown, with a post median (creamy) white band
from dark costa to inner margin, getter wider towards inner margin. Vein Ris
brown in white band. A subterminal band bordered by two pale lines with
seven orange brown bordered black quite oval spots, from costa to inner
margin, of which the third and fourth spots are narrow and elongate and the
last two spots much smaller and connected one to another. Inner brown part
bears some pale brown verticallines from costa to inner margin, some others
only till cubitus. Upperside of hind wing, with an irregular termen, with a sharp,
short tail at vein M3and a second, more rounded one at vein CuA2,continues
the pattern of the forewing. The (creamy) white band is getting narrower from
costa to inner margin and is ending in a large orange brown spot with to eyes.
The subterminal band has six much better developed spots, of which the first
one is smaller and the last one larger than the four others of more or lessthe
same size.
Underside of both wings have same pattern as on upperside; however, light
brown ground colour with much more obvious light parts which are grey to
white.
Female- As male, however lighter brown coloration, with a creamy postmedian
band. At the upperside of hindwing is the large spot at inner margin dirty
brown in stead of orange brown in males.
Length of forewing: 26-32 (av. 29.42) mm Derivation of name: 'kumambana'
is a adjective in apposition, derived from the Kumamba Archipelago, where
this subspecies occurs.
Suara Serangga Papua, 2010,5 (1)Juli - September 2010 9
spots with orange brown borders on the upperside of both wings and the
absence of the orange brown spot at the bottom of the white band, at the
inner margin are two important characteristics th at distinguish this species
from C acilia and others.
The presence of only 3-4 distinctly developed spots in the submarginal band
on the forewing, instead of six, characterizes all mainland populations and
those.frorn islands close to the mainland, such asWaigeu, Batanta, Mioswar,
Japen and PantaiTimur islands. However, individuals with lessdeveloped third
and fourth spots, even sometimes absent, are nearly all areas. Populations
with six weil developed spots are treated as separate (sub)species and found
on Numfor (C aeilia maforensis), Supiori and Biak (C biaka stat. nov.) and Moor
and Mambor islands (C aeilia moorensis subsp. nov.).
In summary, the following taxa of Cyrestisoccur in Papua province and adjacent
islands, Indonesia:
Cyrestis acilia (Godart, 1819), with
ssp.aeilia Godart, 1819, from Waigeu, Japen and mainland of Papua
ssp.miso/ensis Marten, 1903, from Misollsland
ssp.maforensis Marten, 1903,from Numfor Island
ssp.moorensis subsp. nov., from Moor and Mambor Islands
ssp.kumambana subsp. nov., from the Kumamba Archipelago
Cyrestis biaka Grose Smith, 1894, stat. nov., from the islands of Supiori and
Biak.

[trehopr1]

Thank you for the update Olivier. That is a lovely specimen...

You see, just by posting your photo it made my "inquiring mind" want to find out more about it.

This is why its important folks post pic's of things; i.e. (share) what they have come across to advance discussions on topics.

You will always see pictures from me !

[cabintom]

Cyrestis camillus camillus (The only Afrotropical member of Cyrestinae)