''Troides dohertyi'', the Talaud black birdwing, is a

birdwing Birdwings are butterflies in the swallowtail family, that belong to the genera ''Trogonoptera'', ''Troides'', and ''Ornithoptera''. Most recent authorities recognise 36 species, however, this is debated, and some authorities include additional ...

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 comprises ...

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 els ...

to the Talaud and Sangihe islands. This

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), 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 ...

is ranked as a subspecies of '' Troides rhadamantus'' by some authors.

Description

Size range: 140 to 160 mm (females) wingspan. Male: The male is unique among birdwings, being almost entirely black on the upperside forewings and hindwings. The underside of the hindwing has the golden markings typical of ''Troides'' species but sometimes reduced. Rarely males have faint suggestions of gold colouration on the upper surface of their hindwing. Females may show yellow markings on their hindwings, and both sexes have whitish to tan stripes on their forewings (veins are bordered by white colour). Female: is

sexually dimorphic Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

. The female covers the upper range of the wingspan. It is significantly larger than the male. The basic colour of the female is dark brown. The veins are bordered by white. There is a small yellow area with dark veins on the hindwings. The underside is a similar to the upperside. The abdomen is light brown, but the underside is yellow. Head and thorax are black. The underside of thorax has a red hair coat. Image:PompeopteraDohertyiRippon.jpg, Image:PompeopteraDohertyi2Rippon.jpg,

Related species

''Troides dohertyi'' is a member of the ''Troides aecus''

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 members of this clade are: *''

Troides aeacus ''Troides aeacus'', the golden birdwing, is a large tropical butterfly belonging to the swallowtail family, Papilionidae. Description ''Troides aeacus'' has a wingspan of about but can be as large as 194 mm. In the males the forewings are ...

'' C. & R. Felder, 1860 *''

Troides magellanus ''Troides magellanus'', the Magellan birdwing, is a large and striking birdwing butterfly found in the Philippines and on Taiwan's Orchid Island. This butterfly is named for the explorer Ferdinand Magellan who was killed in the Philippines in 15 ...

'' (C. & R. Felder, 1862) *''

Troides minos ''Troides minos'', the southern birdwing, also called Sahyadri birdwing, is a large and striking swallowtail butterfly endemic to south India. With a wingspan of 140–190 mm, it is the second largest butterfly of India. It is listed as Leas ...

'' (Cramer, 779 *'' Troides rhadamantus'' (Lucas, 1835) *''Troides dohertyi'' (Rippon, 1893) *'' Troides prattorum'' (Joicey & Talbot, 1922)

Conservation

''Troides dohertyi'' is classified as vulnerable on 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 ...

2006 (1) and listed on Appendix II of

CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

(2).

Etymology

It was named for William Doherty.

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. *Kurt Rumbucher; Béla von Knötgen, 1999 Part.6, Papilionidae. 3, Troides. 1 ''aeacus''- group in Erich Bauer and Thomas Frankenbach Eds. ''Butterflies of the World'' Keltern: Goecke & Evers 1999.

External links

''Troides dohertyi'' at NgypalArkive.org
Photos, more information

Images from Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (English/German)
Sulawesi Lowland Rain Forests Ecoregion
Dohertyi Butterflies of Indonesia Endemic fauna of Indonesia Vulnerable fauna of Asia Butterflies described in 1903 {{Papilionidae-stub