''Papilio schmeltzi'' is a
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
swallowtail butterfly
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 large ...
from the
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''
Papilio
''Papilio'' is a genus in the swallowtail butterfly family, Papilionidae, as well as the only representative of the tribe Papilionini. The word ''papilio'' is Latin for butterfly.
It includes the common yellow swallowtail (''Papilio machaon''), ...
'' that is
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 elsew ...
to
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 ...
.
Papilio at Funet
/ref>
Etymology
Named to honour the German naturalist Johann Schmeltz
Johannes Dietrich Eduard Schmeltz (19 May 1839 – 26 May 1909) was a German ethnographer and naturalist.
Schmeltz had no formal scientific training but studied with many well established Hamburg naturalists including
Georg Semper, Otto Semper ...
. It is common and not threatened.
References
*Hancock, D. L ., 1983. ''Princeps aegeus'' ( Donovan ) and its allies ( Lepidoptera: Papilionidae):
systematics, phylogeny and biogeography. ''Australian Journal of Zoology'' 31:771-797.
*
schmeltzi
Butterflies described in 1869
Butterflies of Oceania
Taxa named by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer
{{Papilionidae-stub