Marianas brown crow specimens
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Here are images of two specimens of Euploea eleutho (Latreille and Godart), the Marianas brown crow, from the CNMI Insect Collection housed at Northern Marianas Colleege, Saipan. Winspans are 72 mm and 68 mm.
There is little known about this butterfly. Here is the description from Schreiner and Nafus 1997[1]:
"Originally described from Guam and found only in the Mariana Islands. In 1936 Swezey found only a few on Guam. None have been collected since 1946 in Guam or Rota, but it was collected in Alamagan and Anatahan in 1971, giving hope that the species in not yet extinct. Nothing is known about its immature stages or hosts. There is some dispute among taxonomists as whether this is a true species. According to Vane-Ackery, it should be considered a subspecies of E. algea."
Note: Schreiner and Nafus listed this butterfly as a member of the family Danaeidae. Danaeidae has recently been repositioned as a Danaeinae, a subfamily of Nymphalidae.
References
- , Butterflies of Micronesia. Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Guam, 1997.
