CONSERVATION
IUCN Redlist category Least Concern (IUCN 2020)
Rationale for redlist categorization Troides hypolitus has been assessed as Least Concern. This species has a wide extent of occurrence in excess of 1 million km?, within which the species is considered to be locally numerous and not rare. However, given the species is generally confined to lowland coastal forest, and the fact that deforestation in places like Halmahera was particularly prevalent in lowland areas, there are likely to be localised threats affecting the species. However, the species occurs in a large number of locations (it is widely distributed across a large number of islands), thus lowering the risk from these threats across its range. Given that we have limited quantitative information available for this species, monitoring and evaluation of population status of understudied subspecies would vastly improve our knowledge of this species and our ability to address any population declines where they may occur. (IUCN 2020)
Threat category Ecosystem conversion|Ecosystem degradation,Species mortality (IUCN 2020)
Cause of stress Intentional use (species is the target) (IUCN 2020)
Described Threats The species is listed on CITES Appendix II together with the genera Ornithoptera and Trogonoptera , with the exception of O. alexandrae which is listed on Appendix I. Recently traded individuals appear to come mostly from captive or ranched populations (CITES 2015). Butterfly ranching is generally thought of as a sound, economically viable and sustainable rural industry (Wambi 1996, Hanscom 1993, Burrows 2003 in Small 2007). However, there are concerns that butterfly ranching may not be as sustainable in some countries as it is often perceived to be (e.g., Papua New Guinea; Small 2007). This is based on a lack of data and species monitoring to assess the status of butterfly populations, and for many species, such monitoring is fraught with difficulty due to inaccessibility of their habitat (Small 2007). New and Collins (1991) noted that trade is extremely difficult to monitor because transportation of unpinned specimens is easy, especially of comparatively low value species which may instead be traded at high volumes. It has been stated that overcollecting seldom becomes a threat to butterflies, due to the reproductive capacity of insects and the difficulty in capturing significant numbers of the population (Pyle and Hughes 1978, in Parsons 1992). However, where birdwing butterflies are highly specific to host plants and where density of these hosts plants limits population size, collection in conjunction with habitat loss could have significant impacts on the species or subpopulations.
Deforestation within the species range is likely to present a localised threat to the species. For example, deforestation on Halmahera was considered a cause for concern in previous assessments of swallowtails from this island (Collins and Morris 1985). More recent data suggests that places like Halmahera had high rates of deforestation between 2000 and 2005 (Buchanan et al. 2011). Latest data from the Global Forest Watch suggests that tree cover loss was highest in coastal areas since 2001 (Hansen et al. 2013); given that the species occurs at low altitudes, this is likely to have had an impact on it in parts of its range. (IUCN 2020)
Commercial use Butterflies are mostly traded dead for the curio market (Collins and Morris 1985, New and Collins 1991). Between 1998 to 2007, 306,000 butterflies were traded from Southeast Asia, with 13,000 of these being wild-caught (Nijman 2010). There is a distinct shift towards ranched and captive-bred individuals in trade from 2003 onwards; in 1985, it was reported that globally less than 10% of trade was in ranched individuals (Collins and Morris 1985). Altogether at least 34 different species were recorded in trade, most of which belonged to the birdwing butterflies ( Troides and Ornithoptera ; Nijman 2010). It should be noted that trade in butterflies may be underreported, because of difficulties monitoring. New and Collins (1991) noted that trade is extremely difficult to monitor because transportation of unpinned specimens is easy, especially of comparatively low value species which may instead be traded at high volumes. Birdwings can fetch high prices on the market. For example, butterfly collectors have paid high prices for birdwing butterflies of this genus: a pair of Ornithoptera meridionalis was reported to have fetched USD 3,400 in Germany (Melisch and Schutz 2000). Reported prices for Troides are however much lower. The more recent pricing for this species was around $85 per pair (Putri 2016). This species is listed on Appendix II of CITES. Recent data from the CITES Trade database show, that since 2000 and 2015 around 14,600 individuals were exported from Indonesia (CITES 2015). More than 85% of these come from ranched populations (CITES 2015). The species was reported in local trade in Bantimurung Nature Recreation Park, as preserved butterflies, in key chains and frames (Putri 2016). (IUCN 2020)
Applied conservation actions In a global assessment of the world's Papilionidae, the species was considered to be not threatened (Collins and Morris 1985). In 1991, New and Collins suggested work to fully integrate swallowtails into national conservation planning (1991), primarily for those species which were identified as threatened at the time - however, any such work is likely to have benefited all birdwing species in the country. Subsequently it was considered not threatened in 2003 (Vane-Wright and De Jong 2003). This species, together with its congenerics and all species of the genera Ornithoptera and Trogonoptera , is listed on CITES Appendix II (with the exception of O. alexandrae which is an Appendix I species; CITES 2008); this means that trade in these species is controlled in order to avoid utilisation which may be incompatible with the species' survival. Given the potential impact of trade and the limited quantitative information available for this species, monitoring and evaluation of population status of understudied subspecies would vastly improve our knowledge of this species and our ability to address any population declines where they may occur. This species is protected in Indonesia (Vane-Wright and De Jong 2003). Specifically, it is protected - in addition to its CITES listing - under Government Regulation No. 7 of 1999 and Annex B of the European Union Wildlife Trade Regulation; it is also classed as a species of high conservation priority in the Forestry Minister Regulation No. 57 of 2008 (Putri 2016). The species occurs in protected areas within its range, such as Bantimurung Nature Recreation Park (Putri 2016); however, interview data with collectors between 1970s and present suggest that in this area at least, butterfly abundances have declined over time due to collection. There is a call for better enforceable legislation on collecting of butterflies in this and the wider region to ensure that butterfly populations are sustained into the future (Putri 2016). (IUCN 2020)
REFERENCES
- Buchanan, G.M., Donald, P.F. and Butchart, S.H.M. 2011. Identifying Priority Areas for Conservation: A Global Assessment for Forest-Dependent Birds. PLoS One 6(12): e29080.
- CITES. 2008. Appendices I, II and II. (Accessed: 23 September 2008).
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- Collins, N.M. and Morris, M.G. 1985. Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World. The IUCN Red Data Book. IUCN, Gland and Cambridge.
- Hanscom, T. 1993. Setting hearts aflutter: little butterflies take wing as big business. The Rotarian 163: 16-19.
- Hansen, M.C., Potapov, P.V., Moore, R., Hancher, M., Turubanova, S.A., Tyukavina, A., Thau, D., Stehman, S.V., Goetz, S.J., Loveland, T.R., Kommareddy, A,. Egorov, A., Chini, L., Justice, C.O. and Townshend, J.R.G. 2013. High-resolution global maps of 21st-century forest cover change. Science 342: 850-853.
- IUCN. 2020. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2020-3. Available at: www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 10 December 2020).
- Melisch, R. and Schutz, P. 2000. Butterflies and beetles in Germany. Traffic Bulletin 18: 91-93.
- New, T.R. and Collins, N.M. 1991. Swallowtail butterflies: an action plan for their conservation. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources/Species Survival Commission Lepidoptera Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland.
- Nijman, V. 2010. An overview of international wildlife trade from Southeast Asia. Biodiversity and Conservation 19(1101-1114).
- Parsons, M.J. 1992. The butterfly farming and trading industry in the Indo-Australian region and its role in tropical forest conservation. Tropical Lepidoptera 3(Suppl. 1): 1-31.
- Putri, I.A.S.L.P. 2016. Handicraft of butterflies and moths (Insecta: Lepidoptera) in Bantimurung Nature Recreation Park and its implications on conservation. Biodiversitas 17(2): 823-831.
- Pyle, R.M. and Hughes, S.A. 1978. Conservation and Utilization of the Insect Resources of Papua New Guinea. Wildlife Branch, Department of Natural Resources, Port Moresby.
- Small, R.D.S. 2007. Becoming unsustainable? Recent trends in the formal sector of insect trading in Papua New Guinea. Oryx 41(3): 386-389.
- Wambi, D. 1996. Birds, bugs and butterflies. New Guinea Insight 6: 5-9.