Papilio nephelus sunatus

Papilio nephelus sunatus Corbet, 1940


♂, Yala, Thailand.	♂, Narathiwat, Thailand. (photo by A.M.Cotton)

♂, Yala, Thailand. (photo by A.M.Cotton)	♂, Hat Yai, Thailand.	♂, Yala, Thailand.

ON : Papilio nephelus sunatus Corbet, 1940
OD : Entomologist 73: 39.
TL : Cote Malaye. (replacement name for Papilio saturnus)

Distribution : P.Thailand (South from Hat Yai), W.Malaysia.

● hybrid zone of Papilio chaon and Papilio nephelus sunatus

Synonyms

Papilio saturnus Guérin-Méneville, 1840 : Revue Zool. 3(2): 43. TL. Cote Malaye. (homonym)

Records taken from Literature

[ THAILAND ]
Papilio nephelus saturnus ; Godfrey,1930 : 212. (Thailand)
Papilio nephelus sunatus ; Pinratana,1977 : 33, figs.P24a♂,♂(Un). (P)
Papilio nephelus sunatus ; Pinratana & Eliot,1992 : 23,42, pl.31, fig.27c♂ ; pl.32, fig.27c♂(Un). (Yala; Naratiwat)
Papilio nephelus sunatus ; RDPB & DNP,2006-2008 : Butterflies in Hala-Bala Forest, fig.[♀](Un). (Narathiwat: Hala Bala) (last update: 2006.12.28 ; accessed: 2024.04.10)
Papilio nephelus sunatus ; Ek-Amnuay,[2007] : 80, pl.12, figs.P28c♂,♂(Un),♀. ('Ranong' [loc.err.])
Papilio nephelus sunatus ; Ek-Amnuay et al.,2007 : 6. (Yala; Narathiwat)
Papilio nephelus sunatus ; Kimura et al.,2011 : 124, figs.♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Than To WF.)
Papilio nephelus sunatus ; Ek-Amnuay,2012 : 80, pl.12, figs.P26c♂,♂(Un),♀. (Yala; Narathiwat)
Papilio nephelus sunatus ; S.Sophonviwatkul, C.Sunthornwiphat & T.Laola,2023- : Butterflies of Thailand, figs. (Yala) (accessed: 2023.05.16)

Specimens Examined

[ THAILAND ]
Hat Yai : 2♂.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Yala : 5♂ 1♀ (incl. photo & photo by S.Atdhabhan).

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Narathiwat : 1♂.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Notes
The butterfly is locally not rare in montane forests at low elevations (Alt. 300 - 450m). Both sexes visit flowers. Males form flight paths along streams or forest edges, and frequently come to the banks of streams and puddles to suck water.
Condamine et al. (2023) divided the taxon nephelus into two species, nephelus and chaon, based on molecular analysis. It is found in areas south of Hat Yai, P. Thailand. However, it is found sympatric with Papilio chaon annulus from Hat Yai to Yala and hybrid individuals between the two species are occasionally seen. This area seems to be a hybrid zone of both species. Further taxonomic and distributional studies are needed.

Literature

Guérin-Méneville, F.E.,1840 : Lepidopteres nouveaux decouverts aux Indes-Orientales par M. Adolphe Delessert.
Revue Zool. (Soc. Cuv.) 3(2): 43-44.

Corbet, A.S.,1940 : Revisional notes on Malayan Rhopalocera.
Entomologist 73: 39-43.

Condamine, F.L., Allio, R., Reboud, E.L., Dupuis, J.R., Toussaint, E.F.A., Mazet, N., Hu, S.J., Lewis, D.S., Kunte, K., Cotton, A.M. & Sperling, F.A.H.,2023 :
A comprehensive phylogeny and revised taxonomy illuminate the origin and diversification of the global radiation of Papilio (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae).
Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 183 (2023) 107758: 1-22.


♂, Yala, Thailand.	♀, Yala, Thailand. (photo by S.Atdhabhan)

♂, Yala, Thailand. (photo by S.Atdhabhan)


♂ (hybrid), Yala, Thailand. (photo by S.Atdhabhan)	♂ (hybrid), Yala, Thailand. (photo by S.Atdhabhan)

1996.10.02 - 2024.04.30.