Malesian Butterflies
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Malesian Butterflies
Ornithoptera tithonus (de Haan, 1840)

CONSERVATION

IUCN Redlist category
Least Concern (IUCN 2020)

Rationale for redlist categorization
Ornithoptera tithonus has been assessed as Least Concern. The species has a large extent of occurrence, estimated at a minimum of 150,000 km?. While the estimated area of occupancy is much smaller, at 100 km?, this is likely an underestimate. The species features in the butterfly and trade and may be affected by habitat loss; however, at present none of them appear to be severe enough to warrant a higher threat classification for this species. (IUCN 2020)

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

Cause of stress
Intentional use (species is the target),Oil & gas drilling (IUCN 2020)

Described Threats
This species features in the species trade. 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). At least in the past, this species was threatened by heavy collection pressure (Collins and Morris 1985) which has caused much concern at the time (Haugum and Low 1979, Pasternak 1981). The species is listed on CITES Appendix II together with all other Ornithoptera , with the exception of O. alexandrae which is listed on Appendix I. Recently traded individuals appear to come primarily from ranched populations, and the most recent records of wild-caught individuals exported from Indonesia stem from 2000 (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). 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.
Collins and Morris (1985) only noted generalised threats to the species, although specific pressures were identified for certain parts of the species' range: logging and oil prospecting on Salawati Island (Diamond 1983), mining in Waigeo and logging in Arfak and Fakfak areas (MacKinnon and Artha 1981). In the past, there has also been considerable trade in this species (Collins and Morris 1985), although the species is now listed on CITES Appendix II together with all other Ornithoptera (with the exception of O. alexandrae which is listed on Appendix I). Habitat loss is likely the main threat to this species, especially from logging of forest for plantations and agriculture. However, while there is some indication of continuing loss of habitat within the species range, with forest loss recorded in the areas around Nabile, Timika and Sorong (Hansen et al. 2013), extensive forest cover appears to remain in other parts of its distribution. (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). This species is listed on Appendix II of CITES. According to the CITES Trade Database, the species is predominantly commercially ranched (CITES 2015). Overall, between 2000 and 2015, more than 9,000 of the around 10,000 individuals recorded as exported from Indonesia on the CITES trade database were from ranched populations (CITES 2015). In fact, it was noted in 2009, that there have been no exports of wild-sourced specimens from Indonesia to any country since 2000 (UNEP-WCMC 2009). In 2014, a new report suggested that in 2010 and 2011, total direct exports from Indonesia exceeded 1,000 ranched bodies, a number higher than in any other year since 1996 (UNEP-WCMC 2014). Principal purpose for the vast majority of exports, which went mainly to Germany, France, Japan, the United States and Canada was commercial (UNEP-WCMC 2014). This is in agreement with previous trends from the country between 1987 and 2005, where ranched individuals were the most common source of traded individuals (UNEP-WCMC 2007). (IUCN 2020)

Applied conservation actions
This species has been the focus of a community-managed butterfly ranching programme in the buffer zone of the Arfak Mountains Nature Conservation Area in Irian Jaya, set up by WWF (New 1990, New and Collins 1991, Parsons 1995). Ranching of this and other birdwing species in the Arfak Mountains Nature Reserve continued as a sustainable activity in the following years (MacKinnon and Wardojo 2001, Rosser and Haywood 2002). There are however indications that poaching may have been taking place, due to he lack of transaction costs when going through inofficial channels (see UNEP-WCMC 2009, UNEP-WCMC 2014). This species was also a priority species for conservation projects in New and Collins' (1991) action plan for the world's swallowtail butterflies, due to its 'Insufficiently Known' status at the time. This suggested specifically the integration of swallowtails into conservation planning in Indonesia, and surveys and knowledge assessments for lesser known species such as this species (New and Collins 1991).
The species has been found in a number of nature reserves (e.g. Pegunungan Fakfak and Pegunungan Arfak; WDPA 2013). The species is also included in CITES Appendix II, together with all other Ornithoptera species (with the exception of Ornithoptera alexandrae , which is listed on Appendix I). It is also a protected species in Indonesia under Government Regulation No. 7/1999 (UNEP-WCMC 2014), and collection, possession, transport, and export for commercial purposes are prohibited. Given the little knowledge we have on this species, research on ecology, distribution and possible conservation measures, including the effectiveness of existing and proposed reserves, is paramount (Collins and Morris 1985). Collins and Morris (1985) considered the species likely to occur in six nature reserves, including in Misool Salatan Nature Reserve and Salawati Utara Nature Reserve (UNEP-WCMC 2014). (IUCN 2020)

REFERENCES

  • CITES. 2015. CITES Trade Data Base. Available at: http://trade.cites.org/.
  • Collins, N.M. and Morris, M.G. 1985. Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World. The IUCN Red Data Book. IUCN, Gland and Cambridge.
  • Diamond, J. M. 1983. Surveys of five proposed reserves in Irian Jaya, Indonesia: Kumawa Mountains, Wandammen Mountains, Yapen Island, Salawati Island, and Batanta Island: July - October 1983.
  • 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.
  • Haugum, J. and Low, A.M. 1979. A Monograph of the Birdwing Butterflies. Scandinavian Science Press, Klampenborg.
  • IUCN. 2020. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2020-3. Available at: www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 10 December 2020).
  • MacKinnon, J and Artha, M. 1981. National conservation plan for Indonesia. V.VII: Maluku and Irian Jaya. Field report of UNDP/FAO national park development project. UN Development Programme, Field Report 1981.
  • MacKinnon, K. and Wardojo, W. 2001. ICDPs: imperfect solutions for imperilled forests in South-East Asia. Parks 11(2): 50-59.
  • Melisch, R. and Schutz, P. 2000. Butterflies and beetles in Germany. Traffic Bulletin 18: 91-93.
  • New, T.R. 1990. Directory of Lepidoptera conservation projects. Compiled for the IUCN/SSC Lepidoptera Specialist Group. La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.
  • 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.
  • Parsons, M.J. 1995. Butterfly farming and trading in the Indo-Australian region and its benefits in the conservation of swallowtails and their tropical forest habitats. In: Scriber, J.M., Tsubaki, Y. and Lederhouse, R.C. (eds), Swallowtail Butterflies: Their ecology and evolutionary biology, pp. 371-392. Scientific publishers, Gainesville, FL, USA.
  • Pasternak, J. 1981. On the rediscovery of Ornithoptera meridionalis tarunggarensis Joicey & Talbot in a new locality in Kamrau Bay, south-west Irian Jaya, Indonesia. Transactions ofthe Himeji Natural History Association 1981: 2-14.
  • 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.
  • UNEP-WCMC. 2007. Review of trade in ranched birdwing butterflies. UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge.
  • UNEP-WCMC. 2009. Review of species from Indonesia subject to long-standing import suspensions. UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge.
  • UNEP-WCMC. 2014. Review of Birdwing Butterflies from Indonesia. UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge.
  • Wambi, D. 1996. Birds, bugs and butterflies. New Guinea Insight 6: 5-9.
  • WDPA. 2013. World database of Protected Areas. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net.

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