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Polyura inopinatus Röber, 1940; a remarkable butterfly mystery resolved

Abstract. The most distinctive species of Polyura, P. inopinatus, described from a single specimen said to be from North Sulawesi, Indonesia, has been a great mystery since it was first described by Röber, in 1940. The holotype, originally illustrated in monochrome in the journal Deutsche Entomologi...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Müller, Chris J., Tennent, W. John
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Pensoft Publishers 2018
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6053472/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30034260
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.774.26458
Descripción
Sumario:Abstract. The most distinctive species of Polyura, P. inopinatus, described from a single specimen said to be from North Sulawesi, Indonesia, has been a great mystery since it was first described by Röber, in 1940. The holotype, originally illustrated in monochrome in the journal Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, Iris, was lost very soon after it was described, almost certainly destroyed during allied bombing of Dresden in the 1940s. No other specimen was known for almost eight decades. We suggest that the type locality (Sulawesi) is incorrect and that the holotype was more likely to have been collected in the Baining Mountains, East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea. We report the recent discovery of several male P. inopinatus from West New Britain Province, and describe and illustrate specimens. A neotype is designated.