''Libythea collenettei'', the Marquesan snout butterfly, is a species of

Nymphalid The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species have ...

butterfly in the subfamily

Libytheinae The Libytheinae are a nymphalid subfamily known as snout butterflies, containing two valid genera and about ten species: six in ''Libythea'' and four in '' Libytheana''. The common name refers to the thick labial palps (pedipalps) that look like ...

. The species was first described by

Edward Bagnall Poulton Sir Edward Bagnall Poulton, FRS HFRSE FLS (27 January 1856 – 20 November 1943) was a British evolutionary biologist, a lifelong advocate of natural selection through a period in which many scientists such as Reginald Punnett doubted its ...

and

Norman Denbigh Riley Norman Denbigh Riley CBE (26 September 1890 London – 26 May 1979) was a British entomologist with a special interest in the Lepidoptera, and in particular the Lycaenidae. For many years he was keeper of entomology at the British Museum. His ...

in 1923. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

honours its original collector, Cyril Leslie Collenette, a member of the 1925 St George Expedition to French Polynesia. It is endemic to

French Polynesia French Polynesia ( ; ; ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole #Governance, overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. The t ...

, ''L. collenettei'' is the only species of butterfly endemic to the

Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands ( ; or ' or ' ; Marquesan language, Marquesan: ' (North Marquesan language, North Marquesan) and ' (South Marquesan language, South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcano, volcanic islands in ...

. Its

conservation status The conservation status of a group of organisms (for instance, a species) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservation ...

has not been evaluated by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

. However, a survey by Akito Y. Kawahara and Emmanuel Toussaint in 2018 designates it as endangered using the IUCN 3.1 criterion, but with an overall lack of sightings it is possibly extinct. It was previously listed as extinct, but was rediscovered in 2001 by Kawahara. It is threatened by deforestation because encroaching Caribbean pine tree farms incentivize clearing the host plant ''

Celtis ''Celtis'' is a genus of about 60–70 species of deciduous trees, commonly known as hackberries or nettle trees, in the hemp family Cannabaceae. It has a cosmopolitan distribution. Description ''Celtis'' species are generally medium-sized tree ...

pacifica'' from the Toovii Plateau of

Nuku Hiva Nuku Hiva (sometimes spelled Nukahiva or Nukuhiva) is the largest of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas country of France in the Pacific Ocean. It was formerly also known as ''Île Marchand'' and ''Madison Island''. Herman M ...

. It is morphologically similar to '' Libythea geoffroyi'', but its placement within the genus ''Libythea'' is questioned. Currently it is believed that ''L. collenettei'' is a sister taxon to the remainder of the genus ''

Libythea ''Libythea'' is a widespread genus of Nymphalidae, nymphalid butterfly, butterflies commonly called beaks or snouts. They are strong fliers and may even be migratory. Classification * Source The higher classification of Nymphalidae, at Nympha ...

''.

Distribution

''L. collenettei'' is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

to the Marquesas Islands. It has been reported on the islands of

Fatu Hiva Fatu-Hiva (the "H" is not pronounced, see name section below) is the southernmost island of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. With Motu Nao as its closest neighbour, it is also the ...

Ua Pou Ua Pou (, North Marquesan: ''’uapou'') is the third-largest of the Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. History Pre-European history Ua Pou is the only major island that was unified ...

Hiva Oa With its , Hiva Oa ( Marquesan: Hivaoa) is the second largest island in the Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. Located at 9 45' south latitude and 139 W longitude, it is the largest islan ...

Tahuata Tahuata is the smallest of the inhabited Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is located 4 km (2.5 mi.) to the south of the western end of Hiva Oa, across the Canal du Bordelai ...

Ua Huka Ua Huka is one of the Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is situated in the northern group of the archipelago, approximately to the east of Nuku Hiva, at . Name Ua Huka in Marquesan ...

, and Mohotani. In 2001, it was believed to be relatively common on the island of Ua Pou. A February 2018 survey on the islands of Nuku Hiva, Ua Pou, and Hiva Oa turned up no sightings. There has been an outreach program by researchers to the local people to report sightings of ''L. collenettei''; as of 2019, there have been no reports of sightings.

Life history

Larvae of this species feed on '' Celtis pacifica''. Adults have been collected flying around mountain streams. Its sightings suggest that it is multivoltine, rather than univoltine. This contrasts with the remainder of the genus ''Libythea'' which is univoltine.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2235642 Libythea Taxa named by Norman Denbigh Riley Butterflies described in 1923 Fauna of the Marquesas Islands Butterflies of Oceania Taxa named by Edward Bagnall Poulton