''Ornithoptera aesacus'', the Obi Island birdwing, is a rare

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of birdwing

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprise ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the Island of

Obira Obi (also called Obira) is the main island in the Obi Islands group of Indonesia, south of the larger Halmahera in North Maluku. Its area is 2,542 km². The island is eponymous to the Obi Island Birdwing, an endemic Endemism is the s ...

(formerly Obi),

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

.Global Biodiversity Information Facility
record for ''Ornithoptera aesacus'' The specific epithet of ''Ornithoptera aesacus'', is named after Æsacus, the eldest son of Priam.

History

The original description is: ''aesacus'' Ney, F. 1903 as ''Troides priamus'' Form ''aesacus''. The full reference is Ney, F. 1903 Eine neue Troides-Form von Obi. Insekten-Börse 20 (5): 36., 1903. The depository of the four

syntype In biological nomenclature, a syntype is any one of two or more biological types that is listed in a description of a taxon where no holotype was designated. Precise definitions of this and related terms for types have been established as part of ...

s collected by J. Waterstradt in May 1902 is unknown. They were once held by Hermann Rolle, whose collection, in part, was sold to

Eugène Le Moult Eugène Le Moult (31 December 1882, Quimper – 26 January 1967, Paris) was a French naturalist and entomologist specialised in butterflies; hunter, businessman and collector. Le Moult grew up in the tropical prison colony of French Guiana, wher ...

Description

''Ornithoptera aesacus'' is a member of the '' Ornithoptera priamus''

species group In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

. The two species are very similar but the male ''O. aesacus'' has a brilliant turquoise-blue sheen.

Taxonomy

The classification of ''Ornithoptera aesacus'' as a species does not have full consensus, and is sometimes regarded as a subspecies of ''Ornithoptera priamus'' by some, such as Parsons (1996).

Synonymy

*''O. obiana'' (Waterstradt in litt.)

Rebel A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; ...

, 1906 *''O. obiensis'' Rippon, 1906 *''O. obiana'' (as ''O. arruana obiana'') Rippon, 1906-1912

Distribution

The Obi Island birdwing is endemic to the Island of Obira in

. It inhabits

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equa ...

. Due to extensive logging on the Island the conservation of the species is a concern, and has been classified as 'Vulnerable' by the IUCN Twenty years ago it was the rarest birdwing species in the world. It remains threatened, but is commercially bred.

References

*D'Abrera, B. (1975). ''Birdwing Butterflies of the World''. Country Life Books, London. * *Haugum, J. & Low, A.M. (1978-1985). ''A Monograph of the Birdwing Butterflies''. 2 volumes. Scandinavian Press, Klampenborg; 663 pp. *Parsons, M.J. (1996). A phylogenetic reappraisal of the birdwing genus ''Ornithoptera'' (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae: Troidini) and a new theory of its evolution in relation to Gondwanan vicariance biogeography. '' Journal of Natural History'' 30(11):1707-1736.

External links

*
Globis.insects-online: ''Ornithoptera aesacus''
— ''from Zoologische Staatssammlung München''.
Barcode of Life: ''Ornithoptera aesacus''
— ''from

Consortium for the Barcode of Life The Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) was an international initiative dedicated to supporting the development of DNA barcoding as a global standard for species identification. CBOL's Secretariat Office is hosted by the National Museum of ...

''.
Att.net.bret69: Images of Swallowtails

Worldwildlife.org: Southeastern Asia Ecoregion — "Islands of Halmahera, Moratai"
{{Taxonbar, from=Q747357

aesacus In Greek mythology, Aesacus or Aisakos (; grc, Αἴσακος) was a son of King Priam of Troy. Aesacus sorrowed for the death of his wife or would-be lover, a daughter of the river Cebren, and was transformed into a seabird. Mythology Ap ...

Butterflies of Indonesia Endemic fauna of Indonesia Fauna of the Maluku Islands Vulnerable fauna of Oceania Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Butterflies described in 1903