''Papilio natewa'', commonly known as the Natewa swallowtail, is a species of swallowtail

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

in the family

Papilionidae Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies in the family Papilionidae, and include over 550 species. Though the majority are tropical, members of the family inhabit every continent except Antarctica. The family includes the larges ...

. It is endemic to the Natewa Peninsula of

Vanua Levu Vanua Levu (pronounced ), formerly known as Sandalwood Island, is the second largest island of Fiji. Located to the north of the larger Viti Levu, the island has an area of and a population of 135,961 . Geology Fiji lies in a tectonically ...

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

. Described in 2018 by John Tennent, Visheshni Chandra, and Chris J. Müller, it was identified from photographs sent to researchers by ornithologist Greg Kerr. Its discovery was remarkable due to how little-known the butterfly had been prior to its discovery, despite its showy appearance. It is one of three native swallowtails found in the region. The Natewa swallowtail has an extremely limited range, and is one of the most range-restricted members of its family. Pressures have been exerted on the population due to development in the area, in addition to collectors who descended upon the island for the purposes of capturing their own specimens. Initiatives in protecting the Natewa Peninsula area, in addition to proposed breeding programmes by the locals can perhaps aid in preserving the Natewa swallowtail. It is currently listed as Vulnerable by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

Discovery

First photographed by an Australian ornithologist named Greg Kerr, who was working with Operation Wallacea, a foundation supporting school students in science projects, originally found the swallowtail on the island of Vanua Levu's Natewa Peninsula at the site of a former logging track. Kerr's photograph was circulated among researchers who could not identify the butterfly from his observation. Its discovery was noted as remarkable by John Tennent, a scientific associate working at the Natural History Museum, London, due to the showy appearance of the butterfly compared to the other related butterflies in the Pacific region. The butterfly seemingly did not match with what was known about the diversity of butterflies in the wider Pacific region. The butterfly's discovery was described as a "once-in-a-lifetime discovery", Tennent himself described the discovery as "easily the most spectacular" of the butterflies that he had described. Tennent led the first expedition to find more individuals of ''Papilio natewa'', of which allowed the proper description of the butterfly as a distinct species. Tennent published the first description of the butterfly in the journal ''Nachrichten des Entomologischen Vereins Apollo''.

Taxonomy

Genetic analysis suggests a close relative of ''Papilio natewa'' is ''

Papilio anactus ''Papilio anactus'', the dainty swallowtail, dingy swallowtail or small citrus butterfly is a medium-sized butterfly from the family (biology), family Papilionidae, that is endemic to Australia. It is commonly known as the "Natewa swallowtail".

Description

''Papilio natewa'' has a wingspan of . Two elongated tails project from its hindwings. At the top of the forewings marks a striking black and white zigzag pattern. Underneath there is a cream and black speckled pattern. Additionally, blue eyespots and a soft yellow color marks the wings. The life history for the Natewa swallowtail is currently poorly known. The butterfly has multiple generations year round. Populations of the Natewa swallowtail appear to increase following the

rainy season The rainy season is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Rainy Season may also refer to: * ''Rainy Season'' (short story), a 1989 short horror story by Stephen King * "Rainy Season", a 2018 song by Monni * ''T ...

in July and August. The adult butterflies have been observed feeding on the nectar of ''

Stachytarpheta ''Stachytarpheta'' is a plant genus in the verbena family (Verbenaceae). The flowers are rich in nectar and popular with many butterflies, such as the South Asian crimson rose (''Atrophaneura hector''), Malabar banded swallowtail (''Papilio lio ...

'' flowers, which are not native to the island.

Distribution

''Papilio natewa'' is found on the island of

in the country of

. It is one of three species of swallowtail butterfly found in the region, alongside ''

Papilio schmeltzi ''Papilio schmeltzi'' is a species of swallowtail butterfly from the genus ''Papilio'' that is endemism, endemic to Fiji. Etymology Named to honour the German naturalist Johann Schmeltz. It is common and not threatened. References

*Hancoc ...

'' (Fiji), and '' Papilio godeffroyi'' (Samoa). Its distribution on the island is entirely confined to the Natewa Peninsula. This extremely limited distribution makes it one of the most range restricted members of the family Papilionidae on Earth.

Habitat

The swallowtail's habitat was presumed as to why it was left undiscovered for quite some time. ''Papilio natewa'' inhabits forests at an elevation of . The Natewa swallowtail stays strictly in its forest habitat, flying into or out of dense forest for the purposes of feeding or courtship. This is unlike other swallowtails, who do not solely inhabit the forest like ''Papilio natewa'' does. The Natewa Peninsula itself, where the butterfly was first found at, has a fairly scientifically unknown ecology.

Threats and conservation

The Natewa swallowtail is currently listed as Vulnerable as per the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

3.1. Conservation efforts by the inhabitants of Natewa, Fiji in the form of the Nambu Conservation Trust, aided by Operation Wallacea, currently works to preserve the forest habitat of ''Papilio natewa''. In addition, locals are keen on setting up a breeding program dedicated to the preservation of the local swallowtail species. Funding challenges currently impede the endeavor, but the project has been highlighted for its potential as a draw for ecotourists. The IUCN listed threats to its habitat such as logging and the harvest of wood, the harvest of crops, and wood and pulp plantations. Another threat to the Natewa swallowtail would be potential overcollection by butterfly collectors, coupled with its limited range, which can prove concerning for the Natewa swallowtail's population stability. Weeks after the initial publication of the species description by Tennent ''et al.'', a collector with twelve specimens of the Natewa swallowtail was caught. Collectors from New Zealand, China, and Japan descended on the island to collect the butterfly, but were turned away by locals who showed no interest in helping them.

Etymology

''Papilio natewa'' is named after the Natewa Peninsula in Fiji, where the first specimen was found.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q95507041 Butterflies of Oceania Butterflies described in 2018 natewa