Malesian Butterflies
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Malesian Butterflies
Atrophaneura nox (Swainson, 1822)

CONSERVATION

IUCN Redlist category
Least Concern (IUCN 2020)

Rationale for redlist categorization
Atrophaneura nox has been listed as Least Concern. This species is widespread from the Malayan Peninsula to Indonesia and Borneo, with an extent of occurrence in excess of 4 million km2. It is considered common in many of these places. However, since it is thought to be only found in well-wooded forests, deforestation and habitat loss may impact the species locally; however, it is known to occur in protected areas. Population monitoring is recommended to assess effectiveness of conservation measures and impact of threats. (IUCN 2020)

Threat category
Ecosystem conversion|Ecosystem degradation,Species mortality,Ecosystem degradation (IUCN 2020)

Cause of stress
Intentional use (species is the target),Agro-industry farming,Unintentional effects (species is not the target),Renewable energy (IUCN 2020)

Described Threats
Habitat loss across its range is likely to be the major threat to this species. Palm oil plantations particularly, as well as pulp plantations, illegal logging and forest fires are driving the rapid deforestation in Borneo, where the forest cover has reduced to only 50% (WWF 2018e). Sumatra also faces rapid deforestation, where rainforest is being replaced by palm and acacia plantations (Vidal 2013). Millions of hectares are protected in Sumatra, but the forest is fragmented and protected areas are surrounded by plantations, and illegal loggers work with impunity as corruption is rife (Vidal 2013). Future projections suggest that in 20 years time only very small, highly fragmented areas of forest will remain in Sumatra, and this could have a significant impact on the survival of this species in the area. There is a constant conflict of interest between protecting the environment and economic development in many countries in the region. For example, in 2017, a large-scale Geothermal Project got underway on Mount Slamet (Richter 2018), a location in central Java where this species is found, and this requires deforestation to clear space for its development, which could have a negative effect on this species. Collection of the host plant of this species for medicinal uses (Fern 2018) could also be a localised threat. This species may also be affected by trade, however more research needs to be done to assess whether or not this has an impact on the species. (IUCN 2020)

Commercial use
Specimens of this species are for sale online for £10-100 (October 2018). However, the extent to which this species is exploited for trade is unknown. (IUCN 2020)

Kind of conservation needed
Resource & habitat protection,Habitat & natural process restoration (IUCN 2020)

Applied conservation actions
Collins and Morris found this species to be not threatened in a previous status assessment of the world's swallowtails in 1985. Already some of the land where this species is found is protected, and this is important for conservation. Protected areas include Kinabalu Park in Sabah (H?user et al. 1997), Lambir Hills National Park in Sarawak (Itioka et al. 2009) and Gunung Halimun-Salak National Park in Java (Peggie and Harmonis 2014). The continued land protection in these protected areas is essential for the survival of this and other species. Additional protection of habitats where the species occurs may be beneficial. Population monitoring is recommended to assess effectiveness of conservation measures and impact of threats. (IUCN 2020)

REFERENCES

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