Cynitia cocytus cocytus (Fabricius, 1787)

Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♂ Up. Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♂ Un. Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♂ Up. Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♂ Un.
♂, Phuket, Thailand. ♂, Phuket, Thailand.
Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♂ Up. Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♂ Un. Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♀ Up. Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♀ Un.
♂, Tak, Thailand. ♀, Tak, Thailand.
Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♂ Up. Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♂ Un. Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♀ Up. Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♀ Un.
♂, Tak, Thailand. ♀, Tak, Thailand.
Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♂ Up. Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♂ Un. Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♂ Up. Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♂ Un.
♂, Tak, Thailand. ♂, Mae Hong Son, Thailand.

ON : Papilio cocytus Fabricius, 1787
OD : Mant. Ins. 2:29.
TL : 'Siam' ["Pulau Salang" [Phuket, Thailand]].
Distribution : S. Myanmar (Tenasserim to Mergui),
W. to P. Thailand (Tak to Phuket).
ssp.cocytus
● ssp.ambrysus
ssp.aoyamai
Cynitia cocytus cocytus map

Synonym

Adolias satropaces Hewitson, 1876 : Ent. mon. Mag. 13:150-151. TL. "Moulmein" [Mawlamyine, Myanmar].


Records taken from Literature

[ THAILAND ]
Tanaecia cocytus cocytus ; Pinratana & Eliot,1996 : 72, pl.47, figs.131,♂,♂(Un),♀. (Kanchanaburi; Prachuap Kirikhan) (in part)
Cynitia cocytus cocytus ; Okamoto et al.,2013 : 9. (Kanchanaburi: Mae Klong Station)
Cynitia cocytus cocytus ; Ek-Amnuay,2012 : 436, not fig. (Phuket) (in part)
Cynitia cocytus cocytus ; S.Sophonviwatkul, C.Sunthornwiphat & T.Laola,2015- : Butterflies of Thailand, figs. (Ratchaburi; Phetchaburi) (accessed: 2024.05.13)
Cynitia cocytus satropaces ; Kimura et al.,2016 : 101, figs.♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Erawan WF; Hoi Yahn WF.)


Specimens Examined

[ THAILAND ]
Mae Hong Son : 1♂.
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Tak : 4♂ 2♀.
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Ratchaburi : 1♂ (photo by S.Sophonviwatkul).
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Phetchaburi : 7♂ 1♀ (photo by T.Aoyama and K.Yano).
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Phuket : 2♂.
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec


Notes

The butterfly is locally common in montane forest at low to moderate elevations (Alt. 100 - 900m) and males are territorial on shrubs or undergrowth.
Corbet (1941) assumed the type locality of cocytus as "Pulau Salang" [Phuket]. I consider taxon satropaces is a synonym of it. Males of this population tend to increase in size from south to north, outer marginal band on the UpH is brownish, yellow ground color on the underside is paler, but is rather variable even within the same region.
A male example from Mae Hong Son seems closer to this subspecies. I provisionally treat it as ssp.cocytus, however further taxonomic study including more examples, especially females, is needed.


Literature

Fabricius, J. C.,1787 : Mantissa Insectorum sistens eorum species nuper detectas adiectis characteribus genericis,
differentiis specificis, emendationibus, observationibus.
Copenhagen, Christ. Gottl. Proft 8vo 1:xx+348pp ; 2:[2]+382pp

Hewitson, W. C.,1876 : Notes on Mr. Atkinson's collection of East Indian Lepidoptera,
with Descriptions of new species of Rhopalocera.
Ent. mon. Mag. 13:149-152.

Corbet, A. S.,1941 : Observations on Certain of the Fabrician Names of Indo-Australian Rhopalocera (Lepid.)
Proc. R. ent. Soc. Lond. (B)10(6):98-106.


Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♂ Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♀
♂, Phetchaburi, Thailand. (photo by T.Aoyama) ♀, Phetchaburi, Thailand. (photo by T.Aoyama)
Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♂ Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♂
♂, Phetchaburi, Thailand. (photo by T.Aoyama) ♂, Phetchaburi, Thailand. (photo by T.Aoyama)
Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♂ Cynitia cocytus cocytus ♂
♂, Phetchaburi, Thailand. (photo by K.Yano) ♂, Ratchaburi, Thailand. (photo by S.Sophonviwatkul)

2007.01.31 - 2024.05.31.

A Check list of Butterflies in Indo-China, Chiefly from THAILAND, LAOS & VIETNAM. Copyright © 1996- Y.Inayoshi.