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You are here: Home / Conservation / Research Needs

Research Needs

There are many swallowtails, birdwings and other Papilionidae that require further monitoring and research.

In addition to the 14 swallowtails that were assigned to the category Insufficiently Known (see Global Priorities) there is a wide range of uncategorized species for which further data are required.

In the list below, species marked with an asterisk are reasonably well known and not immediately threatened, but require continuous monitoring. Usually this is because they are found in areas where habitat destruction is accelerating, e.g. Graphium gudenusi in the forests of Central Africa, Atrophaneura antenor in Madagascar, Ornithoptera euphorion in Queensland forests, Papilio thaiwanus in Taiwan, Papilio thorium in East African montane forests and Papilio montrouzieri in New Caledonia.

Other species are well known and widespread, yet numerous local threats are gradually building up to a disturbing general picture; e.g. Allancastria cerisy in southern Europe and the Middle East, Zerynthia polyxena in Europe, Bhutanitis lidderdalei in Asia and Ornithoptera richmondia in eastern Australia. Sericinus montela from eastern Asia and Protographium leosthenes from Australia are of particular interest as primitive members of their tribes.

A number of species have an uncertain taxonomic position; the Ornithoptera species of Australia were until recently considered to be subspecies of O. priamus; Graphium pelopidas may be only a subspecies of G. leonidas.

Several species are very restricted in their ranges but not definitely known to be threatened, possibly only because they have never been investigated. In this category we include Battus eracon from western Mexico, Atrophaneura febanus and A . horishanus from Taiwan , A . rhodifer and Papilio mayo from the Andaman Islands, Papilio biseriatus from Timor and P. godeffroyi from Western Samoa.

However, the majority of the species listed below are simply very poorly known, in some cases only from a handful of specimens. Graphium mandarinus, G. tamerlanus, G. phidias and G. olbrechtsi are in this group, as are all the listed species of Parides, Papilio heringi, P. maesseni and many other species of Papilio.

Our long-term aim is to reduce this list by assigning proper categories to the species. This can only be achieved by an increased level of professional and amateur research into the world’s swallowtails.

This table is derived, with permission, from Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World: the IUCN Red Data Book by N.M. Collins & M.G. Morris. The full volume, with references, may be downloaded from the IUCN Library System.

*Species that require monitoring

Parnassius delphius Afghanistan, former USSR, Pakistan, India, Bhutan, China
Parnassius stoliczkanus Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, China
Parnassius inopinatus Afghanistan
Parnassius loxias former USSR, China
Parnassius acco Pakistan, India, Nepal, China
Parnassius hannyngtoni India, China, Bhutan(?)
Parnassius felderi former USSR
Parnassius bremeri former USSR, China, N. Korea, S. Korea, Japan, Mongolia(?)
Parnassius actius former USSR, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China
Parnassius tianschanicus former USSR, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China
Sericinus montela former USSR, China, N. Korea, S. Korea
Allancastria cerisy* Balkans and Middle East
Allancastria caucasica former USSR, Turkey
Allancastria louristana Iran
Zerynthia polyxena* S. Europe to Balkans and former USSR
Bhutanitis lidderdalei* Bhutan, India, Thailand, China
Luehdorfia puziloi* former USSR, China, N. Korea, S. Korea, Japan
Meandrusa sciron China, India, Bhutan, Thailand, Burma
Eurytides xanticles Colombia, Panama
Eurytides bellerophon Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay(?)
Eurytides earis Ecuador, Brazil
Eurytides pausanias Costa Rica to Brazil
Protographium leosthenes* Australia
Graphium mandarinus China, Burma, Nepal
Graphium alebion China, Taiwan
Graphium tamerlanus China
Graphium dorcas Sulawesi (Indonesia)
Graphium phidias Vietnam Laos(?)
Graphium olbrechtsi Zaire
Graphium auriger Gabon
Graphium pelopidas Pemba Is (Tanzania)
Graphium nigrescens Cameroon, Gabon, Zaire
Graphium gudenusi* Zaire, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi
Battus devilliers* Cuba, Bahamas
Battus eracon Mexico
Parides gundlachianus* Cuba
Parides phalaecus Ecuador, Peru
Parides mithras Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana, Brazil
Parides chabrias Peru, Ecuador
Parides quadratus Brazil, Peru
Parides orellana Brazil, Peru
Parides cutorina Peru, Ecuador, Brazil
Parides phosphorus Colombia, Venezuela(?), Guyana, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru
Parides castilhoi Brazil
Atrophaneura antenor* Madagascar
Atrophaneura demonius China
Atrophaneurs plutonius* China, India, Nepal, Bhutan
Atrophaneura polla India, Burma, China(?), Indochina(?)
Atrophaneura crassipes India, Burma, China(?), Indochina
Atrophaneurs adamsoni Burma, Thailand
Atrophaneura laos Thailand, Laos
Atrophaneura mencius China
Atrophaneura impediens China, Taiwan
Atrophaneura febanus* Taiwan
Atrophaneura hedistus China
Atrophaneura kuehni Sulawesi (Indonesia)
Atrophaneura priapus Java, Sumatra (Indonesia)
Atrophaneura horishanus* Taiwan
Atrophaneura dixoni Sulawesi (Indonesia)
Atrophaneura rhodifer Andaman Is (India)
Atrophaneura oreon Lesser Sundas (Indonesia)
Troides minos* India
Troides riedeli* Tanimbar Is (Indonesia)
Troides plato* Timor (Indonesia)
Ornithoptera euphorion* Australia
Ornithoptera richmondia* Australia
Papilio ascolius Central America to Ecuador
Papilio neyi Ecuador
Papilio xanthopleura Peru, Ecuador
Papilio euterpinus Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Papilio thersites* Jamaica
Papilio oxynias Cuba
Papilio epenetus Ecuador
Papilio dospassosi Colombia
Papilio elwesi China
Papilio demetrius* Japan, N. Korea, S. Korea, China
Papilio lampsacus* Java (Indonesia)
Papilio thaiwanus* Taiwan
Papilio mayo Andaman Is (India)
Papilio noblei Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam
Papilio antonio Philippines
Papilio biseriatus Timor (Indonesia)
Papilio diophantus Sumatra (Indonesia)
Papilio mahadeva Burma, Indochina, Malaysia
Papilio hipponous Talaud and Sangihe Is (Indonesia)
Papilio heringi Halmahera (Indonesia)
Papilio godeffroyi Western Samoa
Papilio gambrisius Seram, Ambon, Buru (Indonesia)
Papilio aethiopsis Ethiopia, Somalia
Papilio thuraui* Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia
Papilio interjecta Uganda, Kenya
Papilio maesseni Ghana, Togo
Papilio blumei* Sulawesi (Indonesia)
Papilio elephenor India, Burma, Thailand
Papilio karna Palawan (Philippines), Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia
Papilio hoppo Taiwan
Papilio montrouzieri* New Caledonia

OUR APPEAL

Swallowtails and birdwings are beautiful and graceful butterflies – who wouldn’t love to see them dancing in the sunlight or sipping nectar from wildflowers? But many species are under threat from agriculture, forestry and climate change. We have ideas, enthusiasm and a vision for the future. Will you help us to achieve our goals?

GIVING

Financial contributions are welcome and will be treasured. We also need your ideas, new information, suggestions and encouragement!

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What We Do

We do four things to help swallowtails and birdwings: we raise financial resources; convene networks and partnerships; catalyse action, and provide scientific and technical support.

Contact Us

Send an email to info@sbbt.org.uk, or post a letter to SBBT, c/o Hines Harvey Woods, Queens Head House, The Street, Acle, Norwich NR13 3DY, UK

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