Butterfly Presentation Part 1 Status and Conservarion

Panchito M. Labay

chitobutterfly@yahoo.comPART I

Balanacan Port, Mogpog, Marinduque

The Philippines is one of the (now 34)megadiverse countries with exceptional level ofendemism (Myers, 1988; Wildlife Conservation Society of the

Philippines, 1997; Heaney & Regalado, 1998; Mittermeier et al., 1999;

Holloway, 2003; Mey, 2003).

The Philippines has:

• 15 Biogeographical Areas

• 3 Biodiversity-Rich Corridors: Sierra Madre Biodiversity Corridor (D), Eastern

“Philippines is the Galapagos Islands ten times”

--Lawrence Heaney

Corridor (D), Eastern Mindanao Corridor (L) and Palawan Biodiversity Corridor (K) including the Calamian Area (G) (DENR-UNEP, 1997)

• High level of endemism

• 409 species of endangered, extinct & vulnerable species flora and fauna (CI, 2009)

• The Philippines has 70-80% of global biodiversity (Heaney & Mittermeier, 1998)

• The biogeographical sepa-ration of 7,107 islands makes it

Each of the oceanic island of the Philippines is a ‘theatre’ for biodiversity research

--Heaney, Walsh & Peterson (2005)

islands makes it with diverse flora and fauna

• Isolation of islands has led to speciation of flora and fauna and habitat

heterogeniety.

• Even a few hundreds sq. kilometres island hasapparent endemism (Heaney, Walsh & Peterson, 2005)

Percent distribution of the nearly 21,000inventoried Philippine insects from 27 orders,499 families and 6,185 genera

Source: Baltazar & Gapud (2001)

CLASS

Insecta

ORDER

Lepidoptera

INFRA-ORDER

Rhopalocera

SUPERFAMILY

Papilionoidea

SUPERFAMILY

Hesperioidea

FAMILY

Hesperiidae

FAMILY

Lycaenidae

FAMILY

Nymphalidae

FAMILY

Papilionidae

FAMILY

Pieridae

DIVISION

Ditrysia

Butterflies and moths are both classified

Scientific Classification

SUPERFAMILY

Hedyloidea

FAMILY

Riodinidae

FAMILY

Hedylidae

under Division Ditrysia, Class Insecta andOrder Lepidoptera. Order Lepidoptera isconsidered as one of the most ‘specioseorders (Wikipedia, 2009).

The existing number of ‘scientificallydescribed’ butterfly species in the world isconfusing. Some estimated it to be 13,700(Robbins, 1982), 17,116 (Hoskins, 2007),17,500 (Lepidoptera Taxome Project, 2004;Robbins & Opler, 1997).

The study, search and reclassification of butterflies worldwide is still going on.

The number of Philippine butterfly species is so confusing. Somereported 1,615 species and subspecies (Baltazar, 1993); 890 speciesand 900 subspecies (Gapud, 2005), 910 species (CI, 2008) and 915species; 910 subspecies (Danielsen & Treadaway, 2004) and 2,109(Pangga, 2002). Of the known species, one-third of them are foundendemic (Ballentes, Mohagan, Gapud, et al., 2006; Cl, 2008).

BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION MAP

The Philippines is divided into 14Terrestrial Conservation PriorityAreas (red circles) and 29additional areas for butterflyconservation, because of theirhigh level of endemism and‘irreplaceability’ (Danielsen &Treadaway, 2004).

According to IUCN (2006), the According to IUCN (2006), the country has…

• 18 species of butterflies in the Red List, 9 red lister papilionids and 9 nymphalids: 4 endangered, 8 vulnerable, 1 critically endan-gered and 4 lower risk species

Danielsen & Treadaway (2004) reported 11 critically endangered and 13 endangered butterflies

IUCN Red List

Papilio chikae Igarashi, 1965

STATUS: endangered

IUCN Red List

Papilio (xuthus) bengetanus Joicey & Talbot, 1923 STATUS: endangered

IUCN Red List

Papilio osmana Jumalon, 1967

STATUS: vulnerable

IUCN Red List

Graphium megaera Staudinger, 1888

STATUS: vulnerable

Graphium (Papilio) carolinensis Jumalon, 1967 STATUS: vulnerable

IUCN Red List

Pachliopta (Atrophaneura) schadenbergi Semper, 1891

STATUS: vulnerable

IUCN Red List

Graphium (Arisbe) idaeoides Hewitson, 1855

STATUS: vulnerable

IUCN Red List

Graphium sandawanum Yamamoto, 1977

STATUS: endangered

IUCN Red List

Idea electra Semper, 1878

STATUS: vulnerable

IUCN Red List

Euploea blossomae blossomae Schaus, 1929 & Euploea blossomae tamaraw

Nuyda & Morimoto, 1991

STATUS: near threatened

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Appendix I—Rare and endangered species. Trade of such species isprohibited. Proper export / re-export permit needed.

Appendix II—Neither rare or endangered species, but can becomeendangered if trade is not regulated. AppropriateCITES permit is needed.

Appendix III—Not rare or endangered species, but are subject tospecial management in their natural habitat.Appropriate CITES permit is needed.

The Philippines has one species classified underAppendix I, the Papilio chikae. The rest are the‘birdwings’, under Appendix II category, such as Troidesspp. and Trogonoptera spp.

Trogonoptera brookiana Wallace, 1855

Neither rare nor endangered

Trogonoptera trojana Honrath, 1886

Neither rare nor endangered

CITES Protected

Troides magellanus magellanus Felder & Felder, 1862

Neither rare nor endangered

Troides magellanus apoensis Wallace, 1855

Neither rare nor endangered

Troides rhadamantus plateni Staudinger, 1888

Neither rare nor endangered

Troides rhadamantus plateni Staudinger, 1888

Neither rare nor endangered

Papilio luzviae Schröder & Treadaway, 1889

Critically Endangered

Tanaecia susoni Jumalon, 1975

Critically Endangered

Tanaecia lupina lupina Druce, 1874

Critically Endangered

Tanaecia dodong Schröder & Treadaway, 1978

Critically Endangered

Cynitia godartii laetitae (?)

Endangered

Pachliopta antiphus elioti Page & Treadaway, 1995

Endangered

Appias aegis sibutana Schröder & Treadaway, 1989

Endangered

Liphyra brassolis hermelnuydae Schröder & Treadaway, 1988

Endangered

Celaenorrhinus treadawayi samarensis de Jong, 1981

Endangered

Papilio hermeli Nuyda, 1992

Presumed threatened

Green formGreen form

Blue form

Graphium codrus melanthus Felder & Felder, 1862

Presumed threatened

Graphium (Arisbe) delesserti palawanus Staudinger, 1889

Presumed threatened

ZOOMING-IN IN MARINDUQUE

Biogeographically, Marinduqueis classified under the GreaterLuzon Area together with BicolRegion.

But, I do believe that throughyears of its long isolation as anisland has led to speciesspeciation.speciation.

It is included as part ofcountry’s conservation area foranthropds (DENR-UNEP, 1997),especially on butterflies andbeetles (Baltazar & Gapud,2001; Danielsen & Treadaway,2004).

BUTTERFLY ECOLOGICAL ZONES of Marinduque Bayute-Sabong-Kitay-Tumagabok Area

Hesperiidae (36), Lycaenidae(161),

Nymphalidae (125), Papilionidae(30), Pieridae

(20), Riodinidae (1)

Cawit-Tugos-Duyay Area

Hesperiidae (18), Lycaenidae(58), Nymphalidae

(65), Papilionidae(25), Pieridae (11)

Bagtingon-Balagbag Mt. Range

Hesperiidae (45), Lycaenidae(165),

Nymphalidae (126), Papilionidae(30), Pieridae

(30), Riodinidae (1)

Mt. Malindig Area

Hesperiidae (24), Lycaenidae(149), Nymphalidae (92),

Papilionidae(25), Pieridae (18), Riodinidae (1)

Habitat & Seasonal Distribution in Bagtingon-Balagbag Mt. Range

Heperiids (45)

Habitat & Seasonal Distribution in Bagtingon-Balagbag Mt. Range

Lycaenids (165)Lycaenids (165)

Habitat Distribution in Bagtingon-Balagbag Mt. Range

Nymphalids (126)Nymphalids (126)

Habitat Distribution in Bagtingon-Balagbag Mt. Range

Pierids (30)

Habitat Distribution in Bagtingon-Balagbag Mt. Range

Papilionids (30)

Taxonomic Classification of Butterflies of Marinduque

Dacalana monsapona marinduquensis Hayashi,

Schröder & Treadaway, 1983

Not seen in the wild since 1993

Marinduque’s Endemic Species

Euripus nyctelius marinduquanus Treadaway, 1995

Not seen in the wild since 1993

Marinduque’s Endemic Species

Arophala anthelus marinduquensis Hayashi,

Schröder & Treadaway, 1983

Marinduque’s Endemic Species

Pachliopta strandi marinduquensis Page &

Treadaway, 1997

Not seen in the wild since 1993, but in 2006 some were spotted in Bagtingon-Balagbag Range

Marinduque’s Endemic Species

Paruparo lumawigi Schröder, 1976

Not seen in the wild since 1993

Marinduque’s Endemic Species

Some species with declining number on the wild

Lexias dertia Moore, 1897

Lexias pardalis Fruhstorfer,

1890

Some species with declining number on the wild

Polyura schreiberi Rothschild, 1899

Some species with declining number on the wild

Amblypodia narada erichsonii Felder, 1865

Poritia philota

Idea leuconoe gordita Fruhstorfer, 1911 Idea leuconoe solyma Fruhstorfer, 1910

INTRODUCED SPECIES in Marinduque

Progenies from Quezon

Province were introduced in Cawit, Boac in

1975

Idea leuconoe gordita Fruhstorfer, 1911 Idea leuconoe solyma Fruhstorfer, 1910

INTRODUCED SPECIES in Marinduque

Progenies from Mindoro were introduced in Cawit, Boac in

1995

Papilio memnon Linneaus, 1758

INTRODUCED SPECIES in Marinduque

Progenies from Palawan were introduced in Cawit, Boac in

1989

Papilio lowi Druce, 1873

RE-INTRODUCED SPECIES in Marinduque

Generally present in

Marinduque, but during the 80s they were not seen in the wild anymore.

Progenies from Aurora and

Babuyan

Troides magellanus Linneaus, 1758

Babuyan Islands were re-introduced in Cawit, Boac and Bagtingon, Buenavista in

1990

RE-INTRODUCED SPECIES in Marinduque

Generally present in

Marinduque, but during the 80s they were not seen in the wild anymore.

Progenies from Mindoro were re-introduced

Hebomoia glucippe philippinensis Wallace, 1863

re-introduced in Bagtingon, Buenavista in

1990

CAUSES OF DECLINING NUMBER OF BUTTERFLY SPECIES

Natural Causes

Man-Made Causes

1. Typhoon and related disasters

2. Infestation

3. Climate Change (El Niño, Global warming)

Man-Made Causes

1. Agriculture and related activities

2. Logging

3. Mining

…end of PART I