Abstract
The birdwing butterfly Trogonoptera brookiana (Wallace, 1855) is a well-known conservation icon, yet questions remain about the infraspecific status of regional populations. The eastern Peninsular Malaysian population has been described as the subspecies mollumar d’Abrera, Doggett & Parker, 1976, but its status as a subspecies distinguishable from the taxon trogon (Vollenhoven, 1860) in Sumatra has been disputed. Wing characters and measurements of specimens from the two regions were therefore examined quantitatively using discriminant function and correspondence analyses. Eastern Peninsular specimens differ on average from Sumatran specimens in having more extensive green, especially in the female. This is reflected in many of the measurements and characters analysed. Females from the Peninsula also have a characteristically blacker upperside ground colour in which the outer areas of both wings barely contrast with the black veins and forewing cell. The extent of these differences enables a reliable differentiation of the females of both regions. The magnitude and consistency of differences are comparable to that between other subspecies of undisputed status. Behavioural differences also exist. The name mollumar therefore merits subspecific status. In addition, we consider the male forms walshi Haugum & Low, 1982 and walshoides Haugum & Low, 1982 to be chemically discoloured specimens of trogon rather than biological forms.
Highlights
Trogonoptera brookiana (Wallace, 1855) is a large birdwing butterfly that ranges from Sumatra through the Riau Archipelago and Peninsular Malaysia to Borneo
Sumatran and Peninsular specimens are distributed on opposite ends of the two-dimensional plot, primarily because of the first component
Sumatran specimens are strongly associated with a brown ground colour (GColour_Brown; Figs 2C, 4B), less green scaling in space 4 of the forewing underside (UnFwSp4Gr_None or Sparse; Fig. 2F), and less green scaling just below vein 7 on the forewing upperside (UpFwV7Gr_None or _Sparse; Figs 2C, H, 4B)
Summary
Trogonoptera brookiana (Wallace, 1855) is a large birdwing butterfly that ranges from Sumatra through the Riau Archipelago and Peninsular Malaysia to Borneo. Trogonoptera brookiana exhibits morphological variation across its range, usually in the female sex, and as a result several subspecies have been described. The males of some of these subspecies puddle, sometimes in large monospecific aggregations along forest streams and rivers (Tsukada & Nishiyama 1982; Panchen 1980), making them very conspicuous and easy to observe. The birdwing is very iconic, featuring on stamps, artwork and promotional material for tourism. It is the subject of ecotourism in some forest areas (Phon et al 2011)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
