rhadamantus

1. Ssp. rhadamantus (Lucas, 1835)⁷⁾ [♂, ♀]

=astenous, (Eschscholtz, 1821)²⁾ (nec Fabricius, 1775³⁾) [♂, ♀] (Manila)

=rhadamanthus, (Boisduval, 1836)¹⁾ [♀] (➡aeacus ) (Manila)

=nephereus (Gray, 1856)⁶⁾ [♂, ♀] (Philippines)

=bazilanicus Fruhstorfer, 1908⁴⁾ [♂, ♀] (Basilan Is.)

(Distribution) [Map 147, 148]

PHILIPPINES: Babuyan Is. (Calayan Is.), Luzon Is. (Callao Cave, Banaue, Dalisag, Baguio, Mt. Santo Tomas, Nueva Vizcaya, Dagupan, Candelaria, Zambales Mts., Wawa Dam, Quezon City, Bataan Peninsula, Pasay, Paranaque, Cavite, Ternate, Tagaytay, Tanay, Los Baños, Mt. Makiling, Batangas, Lalya, Mt. Banahaw, Quezon Nat. Park, Antimonan, Tagdon, Bulusan Volc. Nat. Park.), Polillo Islands (Polillo Is.), Catanduanes Is., Marinduque Is. (Boac), Mindoro Is. (Pinamalayan, Mt. Baco), Burias Is., Ticao Is., Tablas Is., Romblon Is., Sibuyan Is., Masbate Is. (Milagros), Samar Is. (Cervantes, Matuguinao), Panay Is., Guimaras Is., Negros Is. (Canlaon, Guihulngan, Damaguete), Cebu Is. (Cebu), Bohol Is., Leyte Is. (Mt. Catman, Ormoc, Mahaplag, Hinunangan, Saint Bernard, Maasin), Panaon Is., Dinagat Is., Siquijor Is., Camiguin Is., Mindanao Is. (Surigao, Mainit, Tandag, Aras-asan, San Vicente (near Butuan), Malitbog, Bislig, Cagayan de Oro, Mt. Kitanglad, San Miguel, Davao, Mt. Tagubud, Mt. Apo, Mt. Matutum, Mt. Busa, Zamboanga), Sulu Archipelago (Basilan Is., Jolo Islands (Jolo Is.), Tawitawi Is., Sanga Sanga Is., Sibutu Is.).

(Episodes of discovery and original description)

Lucas (1835), the original author of the description, gave the species rhadamantus Boisduval, with Boisduval as the nominator, but since this was about one year earlier than Boisduval’s own publication, Lucas obviously had the right of priority. Rothschild (1895) speculated that this was because Lucas had been introduced to this species by Boisduval. He also points out that many entomologists at that time named the Indochinese T. aeacus rhadamanthus because they were not aware that rhadamanthus was named for another species from the Philippines, and that Gray (1853) was the first to make that mistake. Note that the species name rhadamantus was named after Rhadamanthus (who later became a judge of the lower world), the son of the great god Jupiter and brother of Minos (one of the judges of the lower world) (from Greek mythology).

(Characteristics・Spotted pattern)

♂: This species resembles that of Troides aeacus but differs in the following point.

1. FW apex is less pointed, and the outer margin is less sharply lobed, while the anal angle of HW is more pointed and wingspan is narrower.
2. FW vein-stripes are brighter and have more clear borders, but those on the V^1b are absent.

3. The black marginal border of HW is wider, but black projections are lower. The black shading is more extensive.

♀: The patterns are considerably stable, but FW vein-stripes are more developed in southern specimens, and both the subcostal spot and the submarginal spots on HW are also larger than northern specimens.

(Variation)

♂-f. belzanor (Fruhstorfer, 1911)⁵⁾: [Aberrant HW pattern] The semi-translucent golden spots of anal area on HW are densely scattered with black scaling (=black shading).

♀-f. hesiodus (Fruhstorfer, 1911)⁵⁾: [Aberrant HW pattern] The submarginal yellow spots disappear due to the complete fusion of dark discal spots and dark marginal border.